Tangled Masks
by Dragons Weyr
Summary: Sometimes you can never tell what lies behind the mask that a person might be wearing. This is a story of two such people. One wears a mask to hide who they are from the world, the other not even realizing that the mask is even there. What happens when their masks get tangled?
1. Prologue

**Title:** Tangled Masks.

 **Rating:** T

 **Warnings:** Not much except what you see in the movie and some swearing in later chapters. I'm hesitant to add anything else at the moment so as to not give anything away.

 **Spoilers:** Plenty.

 **Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by the Disney. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended

 **Author Notes:** I am SO SO sorry! I know I should have been working on _On The Outside Looking In_. I haven't abandoned it, I promise! It's just this story demanded that it be written too and it wouldn't let me focus on anything else until it was. Unlike my other story, I actually have a posting timeline that I'm going to follow. I'd like to post about once a week. So look for updates every Tuesday.

I've read several retellings of the movie and decided to do my version. I hope the twist I put in it is enough to set it apart. It probably won't be obvious in this first part, but it will all come clear in the next. Well, _mostly._ Hope you enjoy.

* * *

 _The old saying is 'never judge a book by its cover' and that's true for more than just books. People are often judged based solely on what the other person perceives as their appearance or style of dress. The thing is you can never tell if that's who they really are or if it's just the mask they wear over their_ real _self._

 _Sometimes you have to risk everything to find out the truth._

 _This is the story of how I died. But don't worry, this is actually a very fun story and the truth is; it isn't just mine. It all starts in a hidden Tower deep within the forest…_

* * *

She crept slowly towards the closed shutters of the window. It was, after all, about the only place that her best friend could be hiding. She put both hands on the shutters, paused for a second, and then flung them wide open. The bright early morning sunlight revealed a girl, a young woman really. Her emerald green eyes glinted with child-like enthusiasm and the long golden mane of hair framed a slender body clad in a simple embroidered purple dress.

"Ha!" Rapunzel cried with excitement. Nothing was out there, or rather, nothing immediately visible. She knew her friend was out there though. After all, that painted flower pot didn't always have a chameleon shaped lump on it. "Hmm… Well, I guess Pascal isn't hiding out here…" She linked her hands behind her back and pretended to walk away from the window, knowing that her chameleon friend would let down his guard.

She was right since she heard his soft chortle. With a grin, she silently climbed up onto a rafter just above the window. _So he thinks he's won this round?_ she thought, _We'll see about that_. It was an easy thing to do really, she had plenty of practice. Carefully using a thin lock of her hair, Rapunzel caught Pascal unaware by the tail. She pulled him into the air at the same time as she hung upside down from the rafter.

"Gotcha!"

Pascal gave a surprised yelp and faded from the brown and yellow flower design of the pot to his usual bright green. Rapunzel swung down from the rafter and lowered the chameleon to the windowsill. "That's twenty-two for me." She said, flicking back some of her hair from her face with a toss of her head. Having released Pascal, she set her hands on her hips. "How about twenty-three out of forty-five?"

The chameleon gave her a look. Rapunzel was getting very good at interpreting Pascal's squeaks, looks and motions. It was probably the result of having only one other person to talk to and her mother tended to spend many hours away from the tower where they lived. Pascal was her dearest friend, her only friend really. He had been ever since he had shown up on her windowsill last fall.

This particular look of his said, _You have_ _ **got**_ _to be kidding me_. She couldn't really blame Pascal. She was much better at seeking than he was at hiding, even with his ability to change his colour.

Rapunzel sat down on the sill. "Okay. Well, what do you want to do?" she asked.

He brightened and pointed outside with his tail. His message was clear, only there was one problem.

"Yeah, I don't think so." She said, picking Pascal up by his tail and swinging her legs so that they dangled out the window. She set him down on her lap, nodded to the room behind them, and then pointed at him. "I like it in here and so do you."

Her friend just gave her an unbelieving look and flicked out his tongue. It was his way of saying, _Liar_.

Rapunzel smiled, she knew he had a point but that didn't change the facts. They couldn't go Outside because Mother never allowed it. The Outside World was dangerous and Rapunzel had to stay inside to stay safe. So she always tried to make the best of the situation. "Oh, come on, Pascal. It's not so bad in there." She picked him up and flipped around to return inside. But even as she said that, she wondered who she was really trying to convince of that.

No matter. Enough fun and games for now. It was time to start their day.

Her long hair trailed behind her as she ran across the main room of the tower. Noticing there wasn't quite enough light inside she climbed up into the rafter to open the skylight. It wasn't hard at all since she had done it every day of her life. It only took a second to fling her hair up over the lever and pull it down. With the skylight open, Rapunzel took the quickest way back down to the floor, which was to slide down her hair like it was a rope.

As she reached to ground she started to sing, " _ **Seven am, the usual morning line up. Start on the chores and sweep until the floor's all clean…**_ " She scooped up Pascal from his perch on the wall clock and went to get the broom and dustpan. Sweeping didn't take long as very little dirt ever managed to make into the tower. As they worked their way through the rest of the morning chores, Rapunzel continued to hum, the words of the song she had come up with going through her mind. _**Polish and wax, do laundry and mop and shine-up. Sweep again and by then it's, like,**_ She glanced at the clock just as she finished the second round of sweeping. _**Seven-fifteen!**_

Rapunzel couldn't believe it had taken so little time to finish the chores. Then again, the tower wasn't all the large and since she did those same chores nearly every day, it didn't get all that dirty. Maybe she should start cleaning only every other day just so there would be more work to do. With a shrug she headed up to her room, Pascal riding on her shoulder.

Once there she looked around, time to find something else to do. " _ **And so I'll read a book or maybe two or three**_." She sang as she snatched up them up from her shelf. She really only had three books. It had been a very long time since Mother had gotten her another book. One was on botany, one of geology, and a cook book. She loved all three, even if they were all well-worn from much reading. Sadly, since she did read them so often, it took only a few minutes to get through all of them. So they were returned to their shelf.

Time for something else. Rapunzel looked around a noticed that there was a spot on the wall that looked a little bare. " _ **I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery!**_ " She grinned and gathered up her art supplies. The area she wanted to paint was quite high up, but that was no problem. It only took a moment to arrange her hair into a type of harness that could easily hold her suspended right where she wanted. Pascal helped by clinging to the wall and holding her painter's palette with his tail.

 _What do now?_ she wondered once the paintings were finished. _**I'll play guitar and knit and cook…**_ Those were all good ideas, but just like the reading and painting, she did them so often that then didn't end up holding her attention very long. _**…and basically, just wonder when will my life begin?**_

Just as she was pulling the apple pie from the oven, something caught her eye. Above the fireplace was a large wood panel just a little taller than she was. The way the tapestries draped over the plaster covered chimney bricks gave her an idea. It would be the perfect spot for her absolutely favourite scene. Closing one eye, Rapunzel used her thumb to measure the spot both vertically and horizontally. _Yep, just right_. she thought.

Pascal cheeped encouragement from her shoulder as she hurried to open her paint box. Rapunzel quickly mixed up the deep blue paint she wanted for the sky. Using her largest brush, that colour was quickly applied, as was the forest green to represent the hills surrounding the tower. With the background done, she had to wait until the paints dried before she could add the rest. She didn't mind though since it was now time for lunch. Well, not really, it was technically still too early, but she decided she was hungry so why not.

Later, as she sprawled on the floor to work on a puzzle, Rapunzel found herself humming her morning song again, only now she changed the words to fit the new activities. _**Then after lunch it's puzzles and darts and baking. Papier-mâché, a bit of ballet, and chess. Pottery and ventriloquy, candle making.**_ As she went through each of the activities, she started to find she was really only going through the motions of them. _**Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch, take a climb, sew a dress.**_ Things that used to keep her occupied for hours took only minutes to do now. Even adding to her new painting was a little dull.

 _ **And I'll re-read the books if I have time to spare.**_ she thought as she picked them up again, though she only flipped through them bored. And as for painting, which she always loved to do, _**I'll paint the walls some more,**_ Unfortunately where ever she looked, was already covered in her myriad of paintings. _**I'm sure there's room somewhere.**_

 _Well there's always one thing I can do that will keep me busy_. she thought. She set down her paintbrushes and palette, and picked up her hair brush. _**And I'll brush and brush and brush my hair.**_ Doing that always took a while since she had so much of it. Diligently she worked her way around the room along the massive length. By the time she reached the end, she was up in the rafters of the tower again. Tired from all that brushing, Rapunzel collapsed against one of the cross members. _**Stuck in the same place I've always been.**_

She looked down at the golden trail that looped around her. _I wonder just how long my hair's gotten now._ The last time she had done it her hair had circled the room two and a half times. She jumped down from the rafters, gathering up the entire long length. " _ **And I'll keep wondering and wondering and wondering and wondering…**_ " she sang as she ran around the room, tossing loops of hair so that it would make smooth circles as she went. Reaching the center of the room she looked around. Her hair now made four complete circles. " _ **… when will my life begin?**_ "

Rapunzel went over to the window. " _ **Tomorrow night, lights will appear. Just like they do on my birthday each year.**_ " She sang, explaining to Pascal who had yet to see the floating lights. There was just something about those lights that drew her. Why did they only come once a year? What were they? Not stars, she was sure. She turned away from the window to look at her newest painting which depicted them. " _ **What is it like, out there where they glow? Now that I'm older, Mother might just let me go.**_ "

There was only one thing left to add to that painting. Slowly Rapunzel added a figure of a girl, herself, watching the sky full of floating lights from the top of a tree, her long golden hair trailing far to the ground.

* * *

The ceramic tiles covering the roof rattled underfoot as three figures slide down the steeply pitched slope. All three were being careful to not make any further noise as they moved. It would be very bad thing for all if anyone caught them up there. Getting caught roof-walking down in the city was bad enough, but this time they were on the roof of the castle. The stakes were much higher here.

Two of the three were nearly identical. In fact they were the identical twins known only as the Stabbington Brothers. They were the same height (tall), same build (hulking), same general features (brutish, red hair, grey eyes). The only differences between them was that one had an eye-patch and favoured black leathers while the other had long side-burns and preferred green and brown for his attire.

The third member of the party was far different. Shorter, slimmer build, with longish brown hair tied back in a tail at the nape of the neck. While Flynn Rider was just as crooked as the Stabbingtons, the thief had a slightly more refined appearance than the two brutes.

The small group made their way from cupula to cornice to roof-tree. Circling around one of the towers, they made it to their destination. The roof over the Great Throne room. It was from here they would pull off their heist. The Stabbingtons immediately set to work, pulling up the roof hatch they had made on a previous visit. Hearing the sounds of heavy footsteps far below, Flynn went to the edge of the roof to make sure none of the patrolling Guards had noticed. The thief grabbed onto a part of the decorative stonework and leaned out over the edge of the roof.

All to be seen was a passing Guard making his rounds.

Certain they were still undetected, Flynn looked up and was caught by the view of the city. "Wow! I could get used to a view like this." The thief murmured. It was an incredible view. The entire kingdom spread out like an intricate tapestry. The gold and browns of the thatched or tiled roofs, interspersed with the lighter colours of the cobblestone streets and all the various shades of green of the trees. Even the people below seemed no more than tiny dolls moving about. Such a view was wasted on Flynn's companions though.

"Rider," the one in green whispered harshly; Flynn had mentally pegged this one as Stabby One since he seemed to do most of the talking for the pair, "come on!"

"Hold on." The thief held up a hand and then stepped back from the edge and placed hands on hips. Flynn wanted to just savour that view a while longer. "Yep, I'm used to it. Guys, I want a castle."

Stabby One was clearly not impressed by this declaration. "We do this job, you can buy your own castle." He said, coming over and grabbing Flynn by the back of the collar. He dragged the thief over to the hatch before letting go.

"Hey, easy, easy, easy." Flynn protested, dusting off the blue tunic. "Watch the threads."

"Shut up and hold still, Rider." Stabby One grunted as he picked up the length of rope they had brought with them.

Flynn's eyebrows went up and the thief took a step back. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you think you're doing?"

"Tying this rope, what's it look like?" the man said in an annoyed tone. "You're not chickening out on us now, are ya?" Beside him, Stabby Two cracked his knuckles pointedly.

Flynn snorted and rolled brown eyes. "No, but you think I'm going to trust _your_ knots? When it's my neck on the line? Forget it." The thief snatched the end of the rope from Stabby One's hand. "Give it here. I'll do it myself."

"Fine, but hurry it up."

In truth Flynn had a much bigger reason to not want either Stabbington get that close besides a mistrust of their knot-tying skills. Flynn didn't want _anyone_ to get closer than necessary. The thief always kept everyone at arms-length. Flynn's reasons for this; partly it was because the further you kept people the less likely you would get hurt by them. Mostly, however, it was because the further you kept people the less likely they would find out certain secrets about you. Flynn much preferred for people to only believe what they saw. The dashing, clever, cunning, and, most importantly, _male_ thief.

Flynn especially didn't want the Stabbingtons to realize she was actually female.

After tying the rope securely around her waist, Flynn sat on the edge of the hatch. "Now, remember. Nice and easy, guys."

The Stabbingtons grunted in unison and took up the long end of the rope. Flynn picked up the leather satchel she would use to carry the loot and lowered herself down through the hatch. Smoothly she was lowered down into cavern that was the Great Throne room.

It was a huge, ostentatious affair. Tall stained glass windows let in the morning light along either side of the room. Great banners hung from the ceiling, all depicting the same thing; the Corona Sun in Glory in either purple on a white shield and a sandy coloured background or in the kingdom's colours of gold and a slightly deeper purple. There was a huge tapestry of the latter hanging behind the two thrones and directly below where Flynn was being lowered stood a white marble pedestal at the front of the dais. On it, sitting on a purple velvet cushion, was the prize.

The Cornet of the Lost Heir.

It was a beautiful object, really. Gold with intricately inlaid knot-work of precious and semi-precious stones surround the three large white diamonds that decorated it. It was a symbol of the hope the King and Queen had of recovering their lost child. Absolutely priceless to the kingdom.

Flynn figured she could get at least a couple thousand for it, once it was taken apart. Maybe more.

Of course such an expensive piece of jewelry was not left unguarded for anyone to take. If it was _that_ easy, she wouldn't have needed to team up with the Stabbington Brothers just to steal it. There were nine palace Guards standing watch, each armed with a halberd. With that many eyes and ears on duty, one would think it would be impossible for anyone to even think about breaking in to steal anything. Especially in broad daylight.

The thief grinned as she looked around at the nine shiny gold plated helmets and nine shiny gold-washed chest and back plates. Here she was, right in their midst and not a single man realizing it. The Guards had failed to cover a very potent blind-spot. All their focus was one watching for anyone coming in the huge doors at the far end of the throne room. They never planned for anyone daring enough to break in through the roof. As a consequence, every one of the Guards had his back to the dais and was completely unaware of the intruder.

Without making a sound, Flynn lifted the cornet from its plush velvet pillow and tucked it safely in the satchel. _There. Now to make a clean_ …

" _ **ACHOO**_!"

Flynn froze for just a second and then grinned. The opportunity was just too perfect. She set her elbow on the pillow and rested her chin on her hand. "Ugh, hay fever?" she asked nonchalantly.

The Guard, casually glancing over his shoulder, replied, "Yeah." He faced forward again as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with a person commenting from where no one was supposed to be. It took the man about five seconds to realize the error and apparently that was plenty of time for the Stabbingtons to haul Flynn back up. Just as they yanked her up through the hatch, she could hear the Guard call out from below, "huh? Wait! Hey – wait!"

The three didn't even bother with closing the hatch. They needed to get away and get away fast. "Nice going, Rider." snarled Stabby One. Stabby Two was already making his way back across the palace roof. Flynn was too busy getting the rope off from around her waist to reply right away.

"Less talking, more running." She said cheerfully, once she was free and took her own advice.

The hue and cry was going up all over the palace as the trio made it off the roof and over the walls into the city below. They stayed to the back and side streets as much as possible. One reason was to confuse their pursuers and the other was to avoid any of the early morning foot traffic through the streets of Corona. They made it out of the city gates without getting caught. Still it wouldn't be long before the Guards sent out a group after them so none of the three paused as they ran across the bridge that connected the little island to the mainland.

Flynn, being smaller and lighter than her partners, managed to take the lead. "Can't you picture me in a castle of my own?" she asked over her shoulder. "Because I certainly can. All the things we've seen and it's only eight in the morning!" she held the satchel aloft as they reached the forest beyond the end of the bridge. "Gentlemen, _this_ is a very _big_ day!"


	2. Request Denied

**AN:** So, as some have probably noted, I did have to change a couple of minor things. I did have reasons for this which I'm not going to reveal just yet. Though by now, you've might have guessed what the twist to this story is.

 _Cashat_ : Thank you for the review. I'm glad you do like this story. It was fun to write.

* * *

Rapunzel hurriedly packed away her paints. "This is it. This is a _very_ big day, Pascal." She said as she set the cups of pink and red paints back into the little chest she used to store them in. Pascal perched on the edge of the box and was helping by using his flexible tail to put away Rapunzel's brushes. Finished, he hopped onto her arm as she shut the lid. She chuckled as she continued, "I'm _finally_ going to do it. I'm going to ask her!"

As if right on cue, a very familiar voice rang out from below the main window of the tower. " _Rapunzel! Let down your hair!_ "

The girl gasped softly. Now that the moment was here, butterflies were erupting in her stomach. Asking Mother anything always made her nervous. She took a deep breath and looked at her friend who had moved up her arm and onto her shoulder. "It's time."

Pascal puffed out his chest and gave her a look that said, _You can do this. I know you totally can. No sweat_. The confidence the little chameleon showed he had in her made Rapunzel smile. It felt nice that he believed in her.

"I know, I know." She replied, holding up her hand for him. Pascal hopped onto it and she lifted him to the painting. "Come on. Don't let her see you." Mother didn't know about Pascal and neither he nor Rapunzel wanted her to find him. Rapunzel just knew that Pascal would be forced to leave if she did. The chameleon clung to the wall as she closed the drapes over her painting. She gave him a quick smile as he shifted to a darker green to match one of the trees.

" _Rapunzel!_ " Mother called again, this time with impatience in her voice. " _I'm not getting any younger down here!_ "

Rapunzel hurried to the window. " _Coming Mother._ " She called back. Quickly, since it was never good to keep her mother waiting, Rapunzel gathered up all her long hair, looped part over a hook that was just above the top of the window, and tossed the rest out. It tumbled down to where Mother was waiting in a long shimmering golden train.

Down below, Mother took a hold on the end and made a loop to stand on. That was Rapunzel's cue to start the laborious process of pulling Mother all the way to the top of their tower. For the most part, Rapunzel was used to the effort that was needed for such a feat. She had been doing this every day, sometimes more than once, ever since she was thirteen. That was when her hair was finally long enough to replace the rope ladder Mother had been using. Sometimes Rapunzel wished her Mother would still use that ladder though.

Finally she had hauled her mother up to the window and the older woman stepped neatly onto the sill. Mother turned slightly to slip the remaining length of Rapunzel's hair off the hook.

"Hi." Rapunzel greeted her, a little breathlessly, "Welcome home, Mother."

Mother threw back the hood of her black cloak and slid the cone-basket off her shoulder as she stepped down to the floor. She also dropped the smaller basket beside the first "Ugh, Rapunzel, How you manage to do that every single day without fail. It looks absolutely exhausting." She cupped Rapunzel's chin as she gave a little pout of sympathy.

Rapunzel smiled. Truly she didn't mind doing all that work for Mother's sake. She chuckled lightly as she answered, "Oh, it's nothing."

"Then I don't know why it takes so long." Mother said, tapping one red painted fingernail on Rapunzel's nose. She then threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, darling, I'm just teasing."

As Mother walked away, Rapunzel gave a hesitant chuckle as well. Mother was always doing things like that. First she would complement something then she would make a criticism before just laughing it off as teasing. Rapunzel tried to not let it bother her too much, but those criticisms sometimes cut deeply. This was one of those times. "All right." she said softly and turned to follow.

Mother dropped her cloak across the back of a chair as she walked over to the standing mirror. It was always the first thing she went for after returning home. Rapunzel came up behind her as she examined herself in that mirror. It was time to plead her case. "So, Mother, as you know tomorrow is a _very_ big day…"

"Rapunzel, look in that mirror." Mother interrupted, taking one of Rapunzel's arms and pulling her up to her side. Reflexively, Rapunzel did. What she saw was her mother, regal and elegant looking in her favourite scarlet dress, with large silver-grey eyes and dark curly hair. Even standing next to her, Rapunzel felt out of place. In fact nearly every time she looked in a mirror, Rapunzel felt that way. Like what she was seeing wasn't really who she was. Not noticing anything odd, Mother continued, "You know what I see? I see a strong, confidant, _beautiful_ young lady."

Rapunzel felt her heart lift. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe Mother was seeing something she wasn't if she was saying such good things about her. Rapunzel's lips started to curl up in a smile. Then, Mother's gaze switched to Rapunzel's reflection, as if she had only just noticed her daughter standing next to her. "Oh, look, you're here too." She added, pointing. With that, she threw her head back and laughed gaily at the 'joke'. And just like that, Rapunzel felt a wave of bitter disappointment.

"I'm just teasing. Stop taking everything so seriously." Mother continued, nudging Rapunzel with her elbow. She returned to her primping.

Rapunzel decided to just brush it off and try again to tell her mother her big news. "Okay. So, Mother, as I was saying, tomorrow is…"

Again Mother interrupted, having noticed something in the mirror. She looked over her shoulder at Rapunzel as she spoke. "Rapunzel, Mother's feeling a little run-down. Would you sing for me, dear? Then we'll talk."

"Oh! Of course, Mother!" Rapunzel responded with enthusiasm. At least this time Mother had actually agreed that they would talk. She rushed off to get everything set up, Mother following at a slower pace. She picked up Mother's chair and brought it over in front of the fireplace. Darting off, she found her little foot-stool. After dropping it in front of the chair, she took Mother's arm and thrust her into her seat before going to look for her hair-brush. Mother always wanted to brush Rapunzel's hair when she sang for her.

Returning to Mother's side, she shoved the brush into her hand, scooped up some of her hair, and placed it into Mother's lap as she dropped down onto the stool. Rapunzel closed her eyes and launched into the special song Mother always wanted to hear.

" _ **Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine**_." She sang as fast as she could. The sooner she got through this, the sooner she could talk to her mother.

"Wait! Hey – wait!" This time, when Mother tried to interrupt, Rapunzel just sang right over top of her protest.

" _ **Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine**_!" Rapunzel finished in a rush.

"Rapunzel!" Mother started to scold, throwing down the brush.

Rapunzel didn't give her a chance to continue, however. She leapt up from the stool and leaned over the arm of Mother's chair. "So, Mother, earlier I was saying tomorrow was a _pretty_ big day and you didn't really respond. So I'm just going to tell you, it's my _birthday_!" She hugged Mother's arm gleefully and added with a laugh, "Ta-dah!"

"No, no, no." Mother replied, gently pushing Rapunzel back. "Can't be. I distinctly remember. Your birthday was _last_ year."

Rapunzel forced herself to keep her smile up. "That's the funny thing about birthdays. They're kind of an annual thing." Then Rapunzel sighed and sat back down. "Mother, I'm turning eighteen and I wanted to ask…" At Mother's bland expression, Rapunzel felt her resolve wilt a little. She sighed again. "What I _really_ want for this birthday… Actually what I've wanted for quite a few birthdays now…" she mumbled, tugging on a piece of her hair nervously.

Mother rolled her eyes and said, "Rapunzel, please. Stop with the mumbling. You know how I feel about the mumbling. Blah-blah-blah-blah." She made speaking motions with one hand. "It's _very_ annoying! I'm just teasing. You're adorable. I love you so much, darling." Mother pinched one of Rapunzel's cheeks as she stood up.

Rapunzel watched dejectedly as Mother walked over to the table at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to Rapunzel's room. This was _not_ going how she had hoped it would. It seemed like Mother wasn't even paying attention to what Rapunzel wanted to tell her. There was a soft chirrup and Rapunzel glanced down to see Pascal peeking out from under the wardrobe. _Keep going. Don't give up_. He motioned, squeaking for emphasis.

She tightened her hold on her hair for a moment, building up her courage. Finally she blurted out, "I want to see the floating lights!"

Mother paused in the middle transferring an apple from her carry-basket to the one on the table. Slowly she put it down and turned towards Rapunzel. "What?" she asked with an odd chuckle in her voice.

Not to be deterred this time, now that she had Mother's attention, Rapunzel climbed up on a taller stool. She reached up and pulled back the drapes to reveal her painting. "Oh, well, I was _hoping_ you would take me to see the floating lights." she explained.

"Oh!" Mother smiled and turned back to the fruit basket. "You mean the _stars_."

"That's the thing." Rapunzel said. She tossed part of her hair up to open the skylight. The sunlight shone across another painting she had made several years ago. This one was a star-chart. She had spent nearly a year staying up late at night just to make sure it was accurate. It was because of all that that she _knew_ the floating lights weren't stars. "I've charted stars and they're always constant, but these…" She raised a hand to indicate the new painting. "They appear every year on my birthday, Mother. _Only_ on my birthday. And I can't help but feel that they're… they're meant for _me_."

She turned to see her mother was no longer at the table and was walking across the room. Fearing that Mother was no longer listening, she continued gamely, putting passion into her voice. "I need to see them, Mother. And not just from my window, in person. I have to _know_ what they _are_."

"You want to go outside?" Mother scoffed as she firmly shut the shutters. "Why Rapunzel… _**Look at you, as fragile as a flower**_." Rapunzel climbed down from the stool as Mother came over and took her hands. Mother spun her around and then patted the top of her head. " _ **Still a little sapling, just a sprout. You know why we stay up here in this tower**_."

"I know, but…" Rapunzel tried to interject.

"That's right. _**To keep you safe and sound, dear.**_ " She slipped behind Rapunzel and picked up her hair to run her cheek along it. Rapunzel looked over her shoulder at her mother, a part of her thinking that Mother was actual talking more about her _hair_ than her.

Mother let go of Rapunzel's hair and went to the bay window. She grabbed the edge of the curtain and placed her free hand against her forehead in a dramatic pose. " _ **Guess I always knew this day was coming. Knew that soon you'd want to leave the nest**_." She jerked the curtain closed, cutting off most of the light. She traipsed over to the stairs. Rapunzel followed her. " _ **Soon but not yet**_."

Rapunzel opened her mouth to protest, but she only got out a "But…" before Mother placed a finger over her lips.

" _ **Shh! Trust me, pet. Mother knows best**_!" With that, Mother bumped her hip against the wall. That caused the sky-light hatch to slam shut, plunging the inside of the tower into darkness. Rapunzel fumbled with the candlestick on the table for a moment before managing to light it. She carefully turned around, trying to see Mother in the gloom.

" _ **Mother knows best. Listen to your mother. It's a scary world out there**_." She could hear her mother sing from somewhere in the room. Then all of a sudden there she was, standing with her hands up like claws. Rapunzel jumped back in surprise with a yelp. Mother vanished into the darkness and Rapunzel tried to peer after her. Just then something pulled on her hair. Rapunzel dropped the candlestick and tried to pull her hair free. Whatever had it let go and she went stumbling back. Just as she was about to fall backwards a pair of hands caught her under the arms.

She looked up to see that it was her mother. " _ **Mother knows best. One way or another, something will go wrong, I swear**_!" Mother let go and Rapunzel fell onto her rump. She spun around on the floor as Mother vanished again. " _ **Ruffians, thugs, Poison ivy, quicksand! Cannibals and snakes!**_ "

Rapunzel, frightened by all the terrible things Mother was telling her, jumped to her feet. She turned in time to see Mother standing just behind her holding one of her green-glass lanterns. The eerie light from it cast sinister shadows across Mother's face. " _ **The Plague**_!" she intoned solemnly.

"No!" cried Rapunzel.

"Yes!" Mother answered with a creepy grin.

Rapunzel held up a hand and asked timidly, "But…" Then the lantern went out and Mother disappeared yet again. Suddenly, something stringy and a little damp nudged the back of Rapunzel's head. She yelped and fell forward.

" _ **Also large bugs. Men with pointy teeth.**_ " Rapunzel found herself staring at a crude red painting of just such a man. She jumped back as Mother appeared sitting next to her, one hand with a paintbrush once more pressed to her forehead. " _ **And stop! No more, you'll just upset me!**_ "

Backing away, Rapunzel found her candlestick again. Scared now of whatever else Mother would have pop out at her, she wrapped her long hair around her like a protective blanket and huddled next to her lit candle. Just then, Mother came up beside her, now wearing her black cloak, and took her hand. " _ **Mother's right here. Mother will protect you. Darling, here's what I suggest…**_ " Rapunzel was lifted to her feet and she threw her arms around her mother. Except something was wrong. Mother didn't embrace her back. Rapunzel pulled away to find that it was her dressmaker's judy with Mother's clock draped over it.

Mother appeared on the stairway, several candles lit around her. " _ **Skip the drama, stay with Mama. Mother knows best!**_ " She gave a chilling laugh and spun around quickly, causing the candle flames to blow out.

Once again in the dark, Rapunzel found a match and started lighting candles again. She didn't even realize that Mother was going along right behind her, snuffing them out. " _ **Mother knows best. Take it from your mumsy. On your own, you won't survive.**_ "

Rapunzel turned to find herself looking in Mother's mirror. She jumped in surprise as Mother peered around the side. Mother smirked and tilted the mirror to reveal Rapunzel's bare feet. " _ **Sloppy, underdressed, immature, clumsy.**_ " Rapunzel crouched, pulling down the hem of her dress to cover her feet. Just then, the rug she was standing on jerked out from under her. Rapunzel fell to the floor with a yelp. Mother was at her side, but instead of helping her up, Mother rolled her across the floor, getting her tangled up in her hair. " _ **Please, they'll eat you up alive!**_ "

" _ **Gullible, naïve,**_ " Mother set Rapunzel up on her feet. Before she could say anything, Mother took a hold of the ends of her hair and pulled, sending Rapunzel into a spin. " _ **Positively grubby, ditz, and a bit, well, hmm, vague! Plus I believe, getting kind of chubby**_." Her head spinning, Rapunzel staggered for a moment as Mother put a finger under her chin. Then her mother lightly patted the underside of her chin before taking Rapunzel's face in her hands. " _ **I'm just saying 'cause I wuv you**_." She pressed her cheek against Rapunzel's for a moment before letting go and vanishing once more.

" _ **Mother understands. Mother's here to help you. All I have is one request!**_ " Rapunzel found she was alone in the dark again. She put out her hands to try to feel her way to something familiar. Suddenly, light appeared behind her and she turned to find her mother standing in the center of it, arms spread wide. Rapunzel breathed a sigh of relief and ran into her mother's arms. This time Mother didn't disappear and actually hugged her back. Mother ran a hand over Rapunzel's hair. "Rapunzel?" she asked slowly.

Rapunzel pulled back to look up at Mother's face hopefully. "Yes?"

Mother's expression turned hard and unforgiving. "Don't ever ask to leave this tower _again_." There was finality to those words that filled Rapunzel's heart with disappointment.

"Yes, Mother." She answered with a heavy sigh.

"Oh." Mother cooed, lifting Rapunzel's chin gently. "I love you very much, dear."

Rapunzel couldn't help but give a little smile. "I love you more." She replied. She couldn't be angry at Mother for denying her request. She was, after all, only looking out for her and this just proved that Mother really did love her.

"I love you most." Mother finished and kissed the top of her head. She then tapped Rapunzel's nose and patted her head again. " _ **Don't forget it. You'll regret it. Mother knows best!**_ " With that, Mother picked up two locks of Rapunzel's hair in both hands, letting it run through her fingers as she backed away. She dropped Rapunzel's hair finally and turned to the table to pick up her gathering basket. "Now, I just remembered. I have another errand to run, so if you wouldn't mind letting your hair down for me."

"Of course not, Mother." Rapunzel responded. She went over to the window and opened it again. The bright sunlight outside was a stark contrast to the depression she was feeling due to her disappointment. Still she hid it from her mother as she looped her hair over the hook and sent to long end tumbling down to the ground far below. She braced herself as Mother stepped up onto the windowsill and took a hold of the golden hair.

"Ta-ta!" she called as she slid easily down the long length. "I'll see you in a bit, my flower!"

Rapunzel remained silent instead of answering right away. As soon as Mother reached the bottom and disappearing into the tunnel leading from the tiny valley, she slipped her hair off the hook. "I'll be here." She muttered to herself. _It's not like I'm allowed to go anywhere_. She sighed and leaned across the windowsill, folding her arms and resting her chin on them. Pascal came up beside her and chirruped in an attempt to make her feel better. Rapunzel just ignored him.

 _It's just not fair_. She thought sadly as far below her hair fluttered and swayed in the breeze.


	3. Gallivanting Through The Woods

**AN:** Here's the next chapter. I was hoping to get a few more reviews on the last chapter, but no biggie. Hope you all are enjoying this story.

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After running for what seemed like forever from pursuit, Flynn Rider and the Stabbington Brothers finally came to a staggering halt in a small clearing to catch their breaths. Flynn put one hand up against a tree to brace herself as she panted. Her free hand clutched the satchel with the stolen cornet for even its slight weight bouncing off her hip as she ran was giving her a sore shoulder. Flynn looked back over her shoulder for any sign of the Guard and saw none.

"Whew…" she let out softly as she turned back. That's when a tiny flutter of paper out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She gasped and her head jerked up, her eyes going wide at the sight of it nailed to the tree. Flynn yanked the poster down and stared at it aghast. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. This is bad. This is very _very_ bad. This is _really_ bad!"

The Stabbingtons looked at her in confusion as they bent over their knees catching their breath. Flynn turned the wanted poster to show them the horrible rendition that was done of her face. Or rather, the horrible rendition of her _nose_. "They just can't get my nose right." she complained.

Flynn actually took great pride in her wanted posters. Years ago, when she had come across the first one, she had been surprisingly thrilled to see it. She had worked hard to make a name for Flynn Rider and getting a wanted poster was, in a strange way, the highest accolade for a thief. Unfortunately, whoever did the pictures for Corona's wanted posters never _ever_ got Flynn's nose right. And she had seen some terrible versions over the years. This particular one looked like Flynn had ran repeatedly face first into a wall. In fact it looked disturbingly like the noses of the Stabbington Brothers.

"Who cares?" Stabby One sneered. It was clear that the two thugs had no sympathy for Flynn's complaint.

"Well, it's easy for you to say." Flynn shot back. There was a second poster on the tree, this one of the Stabbingtons. She bent down to look closer at it. Unlike hers, their poster was completely accurate. Right down to every little detail. From large chins to thin hair to glowering expressions. It just wasn't fair. Flynn Rider was the much better looking thief. Didn't 'he' deserve a properly done wanted poster? "You guys look amazing." She continued. It was true. While the Stabbington Brothers weren't, in and of themselves, amazing to look at, their poster was amazing in the fact that it was perfect. Again, Flynn mentally lamented, _It is just_ not _fair_.

The sound of a horse's whinny broke through her thoughts. All three looked up to see a Guard on a white horse standing on a bluff overlooking their clearing. That Guard was soon joined by several others. As one, the posse wheeled and rode off to find a way down to where Flynn and the Stabbingtons were.

Knowing the fate that would await them (arrest and execution); the Stabbingtons did what any good criminal would do. They immediately took off running. Flynn stuffed the wanted poster into her satchel as she did the same. The trio rounded a bend and Stabbys One and Two came to an abrupt halt. Flynn didn't notice at first as she was checking over her shoulder for signs that the Guards were catching up with them. She brushed past them before she caught sight of what had made them stop.

In their effort to escape the Law, the three of them had run right into a small blind ravine. Steep stone cliffs hemmed them in, coming together in a sort of 'v' shape. The walls of the ravine were nearly three times the height of the Stabbingtons. And unlike the man-made walls in the city, these ones had few if any places where one could find hand- and foot-holds.

Flynn stepped closer to one wall and put her hand up to it. At first her mind raced for an escape route for all of them, but then she realized just how fortuitous this was. This would be the perfect opportunity to ditch the Stabbingtons and reap the rewards of their heist for herself. And better yet, the Stabbingtons could help her do it. Schooling her face into an earnest expression, she turned to face the two men. "All right. Okay. Give me a boost and I'll pull you up."

The Stabbington Brothers exchanged looks and then turned identical unbelieving expressions on Flynn. Stabby One held up one large beefy hand. "Give us the satchel first."

"Wha…?" Flynn exclaimed in mostly feigned shock. Mostly because she was actually surprised that they had obviously (and correctly) guessed that if she kept possession of the satchel she would run off with it. That, of course, was her _plan_ , but she didn't think they were bright enough to figure it out. Flynn placed her hand over her heart as if wounded to the core as she continued, "I just… I can't believe after all we've been through together, you don't _trust_ me?"

Neither Stabbington changed their expressions a hair.

Flynn cursed silently. Apparently she had over-estimated their lack of intelligence. And their sympathy. "Ouch." She muttered, dropping the faked outrage. Silently she lifted the strap over her head and dropped the satchel into Stabby One's hand. Now she would have to come up with another plan to get that satchel back before losing these two.

Quickly, now that the all-important satchel was in their hands, Stabby Two boosted his brother onto his shoulders. Together they leaned against the rock wall making a human ladder. Flynn scrambled up their backs, not even bothering to be gentle as she climbed. She even made a point of using Stabby One's face as a push off before hoisting herself on top of the cliff. She crouched for a moment, looking back down at her erstwhile companions.

"Now help us up, pretty boy!" Stabby One called, holding up his hand.

Flynn smirked. Dressed in men's clothing and her breasts bound flat there was little chance that these two could guess the truth. _Oh how wrong you are about that, boys. I'll take the pretty part, but 'boy' I am not._ "Sorry," She called back, holding up the satchel she had swiped from them during the climb, "my hands are full." She took a moment to savour the surprised expressions on the Stabbingtons' faces before dashing off.

She nearly laughed at the outraged roar of "RIDER!" that echoed through the trees. _Suckers_ , she thought gleefully.

Flynn ran through the trees and came upon a trail of sorts before she could stop. At first she though that this was a great bit of luck, that is until she glanced up the trail to see a blur of red uniforms and bright helmets headed right in her direction. It was the Guards. They immediately spotted her and increased their pace. "Whoa. Whoa!" Flynn exclaimed to herself. Too late to duck out of sight and as going back the way she had come was a Very Bad Idea, Flynn did the only thing she could. She turned on her heel and bolted further down the path.

The pounding of hooves on ground got louder as the posse drew closer. So close that Flynn could hear the orders of, "Retrieve that satchel at any cost!" in a terrifyingly familiar voice. Flynn knew that voice. It belonged to the Captain of the Royal Guard. _THE_ Captain of the Royal Guard. A man who had been pursuing Flynn Rider for most of her criminal career and who was bound and determined to bring said thief to justice. Flynn knew quite well that 'at any cost' was no idle threat.

"Yes, Sir!" the other soldiers shouted in unison.

Flynn let out a breathless string of curses. _Not good, not good, NOT GOOD!_ She thought. She could practically feel the crossbow bolts aimed at her back and it made her back crawl. At the last possible moment, she slid under a log that had fallen across the path, grunting a little in effort. Just in time it seemed for when she took a second on the other side to look back; she saw five bolts sticking out of the log right where her head had been moments before.

She let out a little gasp of fright, looked up to see the Guards still riding at full tilt towards her, and took off again. She needed to find a way to either get rid of her pursuers or slow them down enough to find a secure place to hide. Reaching the bottom of a hill, Flynn grabbed onto a tree trunk with one hand to abruptly change directions without losing any speed. Four more arrows hit the trees around her. Finally she spotted another fallen tree just ahead of her.

 _Perfect,_ she thought. This particular tree had several thick branches sticking up in all directions, making a barricade that horses couldn't follow. There was just enough of a gap for a person to get though, however, and that's just what Flynn did. She vaulted through the branches and didn't even break stride on the other side.

And for one moment, hearing the sounds of angry horses being forced to stop, she thought she was scot-free. All she had to do now was get out of sight and then hide until the heat was off. Then she could go about finding a buyer for the crown, either as a whole (which was unlikely) or in pieces (much more likely).

But then she heard a whoosh and the sounds of a single horse's hoof beats behind her again. She glanced back to see it was the Captain on his white horse. Again Flynn cursed. _Of course_ _ **he**_ _would be the one to manage to get through_ , she thought in exasperation.

"We got him now, Maximus!" she heard the man say to his horse. In response, the horse whinnied and increased its gallop.

Flynn looked ahead again desperately. There was no way she could out-run a galloping horse for long. She needed an escape, she needed one to avoid getting shot, and she needed one _now_! Then, like a miracle, she saw a large rock and vine hanging just a little further down the trail from her. A plan flashed into her mind at the sight of it and she immediately put it into action. Flynn increased her pace just a bit as she reached the top of the rock and took a flying leap. At the same time she grabbed onto the vine. She started to swing up into the air and she kicked off of another tree to go even higher.

Swinging around in a giant circle, she spotted the Captain as he reached her take off spot. The man lifted his crossbow and aimed it at Flynn. As the vine brought her back around, gaining speed as she went, Flynn stuck out her legs. She would only get one shot at this. With a timing that was almost poetic, she managed to kick the good Captain right out of the saddle. He went flying into the bushes as his horse continued to gallop. Not one to miss such an excellent opportunity, Flynn let go of the vine and dropped into the empty saddle.

She couldn't believe her luck. It had worked perfectly! And now mounted, she could make her escape ever so much easier. Flynn snatched up the reins and gave a laughing "Hyah!" to urge the horse onward. She looked back over her shoulder to see if the other Guards had made it through the tree barricade yet. And _that_ is when the most unexpected thing happened.

The horse slammed on the brakes, causing Flynn to slam into the back of its neck.

Flynn gave a little shake to clear her head at the sudden impact and glanced up to see the horse looking back at her with the most angry expression she had ever seen on _anyone's_ face, let alone a horse's. The pupils of the animal's eyes pinned as it snorted angrily. Not to be deterred, Flynn sat up in the saddle.

"Come on, fleabag! Forward!" she demanded, kicking the horse's sides for emphasis. The horse snorted again and Flynn suddenly noticed it wasn't looking at her anymore. It was focused on the satchel dangling from her hand. _It wouldn't dare!_

But it did. The horse lunged in an attempt to grab the satchel in its teeth. Flynn instantly pulled it out of reach. "No." she told the animal. The horse snapped again and again at the satchel. Flynn kept it as far out of reach as she could as she repeated, "No!" The horse started bucking and circling as it made grab after grab with its teeth.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Flynn cried in annoyance. There was no way she was going to let some stupid beast do _her_ out of her rightfully stolen loot. She grabbed the horse's muzzle to get some sort of control over the crazy thing. The horse managed to duck out from under Flynn's hand and get the satchel in its mouth. "Give it to me! Give. Me. That!" Flynn pulled as hard as she could on the satchel's strap. The horse circled several more times but refused to relinquish its hold.

Still the struggle couldn't last forever. All of a sudden the satchel slipped from the horse's mouth and (due to how hard she had been pulling) went flying out of Flynn's hand at the same time. Horse and rider froze as they watched it sail through the air, headed over the edge of a bluff. Luckily it was snagged on the end of a branch. A branch of a tree growing sideways out into the open air off that same bluff.

Flynn and the horse looked at each other for one second before Flynn threw herself off the horse's back. She ran for the tree, but was quickly passed by the horse. Well, Flynn wasn't going to take that lying down. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the horse's front legs, causing the animal to fall. Flynn jumped to her feet to get ahead only to end up eating dirt herself as the horse grabbed her left boot in its mouth. The horse jumped over Flynn, as she scrambled to get up again, and reached the tree first.

Cautiously it began to make its way out along the tree's trunk. Flynn was not about to let a _horse_ get the better of her. She leap-frogged over the animal's back to end up clinging to its head. Apparently the horse did like that very much and it shook its head violently. Flynn lost her grip and fell. Fortunately she managed to grab onto the tree so she didn't fall very far.

Unfortunately she was left hanging from the underside of the tree by hands and feet. She peeked around the trunk to see the horse staring down at her in what looked like surprise. Then it narrowed its eyes. That's when Flynn realized how close her fingers were to its hooves. _It's not going to…_

But it was. It lifted a front hoof. Flynn frantically moved her hands further along the trunk to avoid getting them stepped on. As she moved, so did the horse, stomping its front legs in its efforts to squish Flynn's fingers. During this little 'race', Flynn happened to look up to see that with each stomp, her satchel slid a little further out to the end of the branch it was dangling from. The thief's eyes widened and she scrambled faster, desperate to reach the satchel first.

Just as she reached that branch, she let go of the truck with her legs and went hand over hand for the last couple of 'paces'. The satchel slipped off the branch and started to fall, but Flynn was able, by hanging by one hand, to grab the strap mid-air. "Ha!" she said as she held it up in triumph to the horse who had leaned down to glare at her.

The triumph was short lived though as there was a sudden loud CRACK that caught both their attentions.

Flynn and the horse looked to the base of the tree just in time to see the tree break away from the bluff. The thief just barely managed to keep her hold on the tree as it fell. She and the horse shared a look of terror and then screamed in unison. Flynn hadn't even been aware that horses could even do that. As they and the tree fell down the cliff, a large protruding rock appeared. And they were headed straight for it. As the tree hit rock, it broke in half. This caused girl and horse to go flying in opposite directions.

Flynn had no concern over the horse's fate. She was more worried about her own. The first tree she hit didn't even slow her down. The second caught on the strap of the satchel and nearly wrenched Flynn's arm out of its socket. By the third tree, Flynn actually tried to catch herself on a couple of branches only to find that this tree was full of thorns. Finally she hit the ground back first with a thud, knocking the wind out of her. She laid spread eagle for a moment before rolling onto her side, coughing a few times to get air into her lungs. She shook her head and looked around to see the precious satchel nearby and a couple of crossbow bolts that must have come from the horse's saddle quiver.

Suddenly she heard the sound of loud snuffling coming towards her. Knowing it could only be that crazy horse, Flynn silently recited a string of curses that, should the horse have tried to comply, would have been physically impossible as well as mentally scarring. She quickly gathered up the satchel and arrows and threw herself behind a pile of boulders.

Just in time. The snuffling got closer and closer before moving off. Flynn shoved the crossbow bolts into her satchel before peeking out from behind the rock. She spotted the white horse, nose to the ground like some sort of great bloodhound, moving off into the distance. Quietly Flynn stood up and slung the strap of the satchel over her head. She had to be very careful now to slip away without making any noise to attract the beast's attention.

Without taking her eyes off the horse's disappearing rear end, she reached out a hand to feel her way along the ivy covered rock wall. Unexpectedly her hand, instead of touching cool stone, met nothing but air. Flynn let out a soft yelp of surprise as she caught herself from falling. She lifted back the ivy curtain to find the dark recess of a cave rather than the rock she had expected.

The sound of a loud whinny broke through her surprise at the discovery. The horse must have heard her exclamation and was now coming back to check out the noise. Somehow, Flynn knew hiding behind the pile of rocks wouldn't cut it this time. She needed a better hiding place fast. And since this cave provided a much better option, she took it. Quickly she ducked behind the curtain of ivy and into the cave.

Just in time too as the silhouette of the horse appeared instantly against the sunlit greenery curtain. There was a slight bend to the cave entrance and Flynn pressed her back against the cave wall just around that curve. Holding the satchel tightly against her side, she held her breath. The horse's shadow looked first in one direction and then another. It nickered and shook itself all over before putting its head down to sniff the ground again. Slowly it wandered off in a new direction.

Flynn released the breath she had been holding and leaned around the bend in the cave mouth just to check that the stupid horse really had left this time. Relief washed through her as there was no sign of it. Flynn glanced around the cave, curious to see just how large it was and if it might already have an animal occupant. If it didn't, it might be worth her while to use it as a hide-out.

That's when she noticed a faint glow of light coming from around a corner at the far end of the cave. _No… not a cave, but a tunnel,_ she thought. _But a tunnel to where? A different part of the forest maybe?_ If that was the case, it would be a good way to lose that horse or any Guards on her tail. Determined now to find out where the tunnel led, she trotted onward through the dark passage.

She paused as she came out into the sunlight on the other side to look back. She wanted to be sure that there was no one following her. Satisfied that she was in the clear, Flynn turned around to survey where she was. What she saw made her mouth slowly drop open.

She found herself in a narrow pocket valley between two large hills. Baby mountains really. Trees dotted the valley interspersed with bushes. At the far end was a thin waterfall that fed a lazy stream that flowed past Flynn's vantage point. And in the center, overlooking the stream, was a tower. It was tall and rather picturesque, with flowering vines or ivy growing up it.

Briefly Flynn wondered how or why such a thing had been built in this place. Or by whom. It didn't make any sense to her. Just then she heard another whinny echoing through the tunnel at her back. Flynn turned sharply at the sound, worried that the horse had found the secret tunnel. _No time to think, only time to hide. And since that tower looks abandoned…_ she though.

Flynn hurried across the valley to it. She circled the base looking for a way in, but if such a thing existed it had long ago been buried behind the ivy growing around the base. She looked up and saw that one of the windows was left open by who ever had once lived there. The only problem was that it was nearly seven stories up.

 _Well this is going to suck_ , she thought and dug out the pair of crossbow bolts out of her satchel. _Good thing I have these._ She jabbed the points between the stonework of the tower and began to climb.

About halfway up, Flynn paused to wonder if this was _really_ worth all the effort just for a hide-out. She looked down, but decided that since she was already this far up, it made no sense to climb back down again. Finally she reached the sill of the window. She pulled herself through the opening and quickly slammed the shutters closed behind her. She leaned against a pillar next to the window as she panted for breath.

She had done it. She had the satchel, ditched the Stabbingtons, escaped from the Guards and that insane horse, and was now safely secured in a hidden tower. She grinned and pulled the satchel over her head. Flipping back the flap, she peered in at the crown. "Ah!" she murmured. "Alone at last."

There was a loud CLANG and a sharp pain across the back of her head. The room suddenly went dark as the floor came up to introduce itself.


	4. The New Plan

**AN:** Next chapter is up! I really did have fun writing this. Sorry about the late update. With being down yesterday, I couldn't get on.

 _Cashat:_ This chapter and the next were so much fun to write. In fact, I had a lot of fun writing my Flynn for this whole story.

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Rapunzel let out a little shriek as the stranger collapsed face-first onto the floor. She quickly darted away to hide behind her dressmaker's judy. Mother had only been gone for a short time and the sounds of someone outside her tower had surprised her. Especially when those sounds indicated that whoever it was was _climbing_ the tower. Rapunzel had grabbed the first thing she could find, her frying pan, and hidden near the window prepared to defend herself and her hair from the intruder.

Cautiously she peeked over the top of the judy. The stranger was still sprawled on the floor and hadn't even twitched. Rapunzel slowly crept closer, pushing the judy in front of her like a shield. She peeked again. Still nothing.

 _I – I didn't kill this person… did I?_ Rapunzel wondered in horror. Carefully she came out from her hiding place and stepped closer to the prone figure, holding her frying pan in front of her defensively. It looked like the man…? It had to be a man. Though the tail of brown hair was maybe a little shorter than Mother's, the clothing was not like anything she or Rapunzel wore. And he didn't quite have the same shape either. Nothing like Mother's vivid curves or Rapunzel's almost non-existent ones. Well, she could see his back rise and fall slowly so he _was_ still breathing at least.

She hesitated a moment and then nudged the back of his head a couple of times with the pan. Again, nothing. Rapunzel glanced at Pascal for some idea of what to do next. Pascal merely shrugged an, _I dunno_. Rapunzel chewed her lower lip. That was no help. She looked back at the man again and reached out once more with the frying pan. She gently pushed the man's head to the side and again, there was no reaction. The only difference now was that she could see at least part of his face. What wasn't covered by his bangs anyway. Again, Rapunzel looked at Pascal for advice.

Her friend crawled over to the painting Mother had done on the floor earlier. Of the 'man with pointy teeth'. Pascal turned red and mimicked fangs with his paws. Rapunzel nodded. _Right. Better check that,_ she thought. Though she had no idea what she would do if this man _did_ have pointy teeth. She looked at her frying pan and turned it around until she held it by the pan part. The handle would work much better for what she needed to do. She stuck the end of the handle between his lips and pushed the upper one back to reveal…

…Perfectly normal straight white teeth.

"Huh." Rapunzel muttered softly. That was odd. Maybe Mother was wrong. Maybe not all men had pointy teeth. Curious now about what a man really looked like, she lightly flipped back the lock of hair obscuring half the man's face.

He was actually quite beautiful. High cheek bones, a straight nose, a defined but not overly strong jaw, and well-shaped lips. He had incredibly long lashes too. Rapunzel felt her breath catch in her throat and a flutter in the pit of her stomach. Without really thinking of what she was doing, she leaned in for a closer look.

That's when the man gave a surprised grunt and his one visible eye popped open.

Rapunzel was so surprised that she hit him again with the frying pan before she even knew what she was doing. The strange man was sent right back into unconsciousness. Rapunzel cracked open one eye that she hadn't even realised she had closed. She left out a gusty breath and wondered what to do now. She couldn't very well leave this man lying on the floor. What if he woke up again? What if he did and attacked her? What if Mother came home and he attacked _her_? Pascal had no ideas, he just gave the _I dunno_ shrug again.

 _I guess… if I lock him up somewhere, that would be safe enough_ , Rapunzel thought finally. _The question is where?_ She looked around the main room of the tower. She knew all the places a person could fit. This man wasn't much taller than her, but most of her hiding places weren't secure enough for Rapunzel's liking. After a moment her eyes landed on the blue wardrobe standing against the wall between the bay window and the entry one. _That should do_.

She wrapped her hair around the man's torso and dragged him across the floor. He was lighter than she thought he would be. Now the trick was getting him _into_ the wardrobe. She quickly learned that an unconscious body was a difficult thing to manhandle into something. First she tried push him in by his feet. That didn't work; she only ended up with his head wedged underneath. Next, she tried swing him in with her hair. That _almost_ worked except now her hair was trapped inside with him.

Somehow, as she was pulling her hair free, the man ended up upside down with his arms, legs, and head hanging akimbo out of the wardrobe. Rapunzel had to pause for a moment thoughtfully, wondering how _that_ had happened.

On the third try, Rapunzel started by putting his feet in first and then standing him up. Like the last time, it almost worked. The only thing was that the doors to the wardrobe hadn't latched properly when she had slammed them shut. As she stepped away, they fell open and the man landed on top of her. Still not deterred, Rapunzel tried a fourth time, using her broom for extra leverage. With a couple more shoves and a good kick, she was able to get the doors shut successfully.

Except for four of the man's fingers which were still sticking out between the doors. Rapunzel blinked and stared at them for a moment before poking them inside one by one. She waited a moment to see if there was any reaction from the man. Sensing nothing, but not taking any chances, she grabbed her frying pan and one of the kitchen chairs, dragging it over to wedge under the handles of the wardrobe. With the wardrobe secure now, she slowly backed away from it.

"Okay, okay, okay. I've got a person in my closet. I've got a person… in my closet." Rapunzel glanced into Mother's mirror as she repeated herself. The impact of her words hit her and she laughed giddily. " _I've_ got a _person_ in my _closet_!" She hefted the frying pan and dusted it off as she spoke to her reflection. "Too weak to handle myself out there, huh, Mother? Well, tell that to my frying pa… ow!" In her exuberance, Rapunzel attempted to spin the pan around in her fingers, but ended up banging herself in the head with it. For a moment as she rubbed her forehead, she felt a shred of sympathy for the man she had just shoved in her closet.

Just then, a sparkle reflected in the mirror caught the corner of her eye. It was coming from the bag the man had dropped. Turning, Rapunzel set down the frying pan and bent down to draw the shiny thing out of the leather bag. It was nice, whatever it was. A large circle made of some shiny yellow metal with interesting jewelled designs on it.

"Hmm…" Rapunzel hummed as she examined the thing. Was it some kind of bracelet? She stuck her arm through the center of it and let it hang from her wrist as she looked at Pascal for his opinion. The chameleon shook his head and Rapunzel had to agree with him. _Much too big for a bracelet_ , she thought. There were three large clear stones set into it. _Glasses maybe? Or a magnifier?_

She held the thing up to her face to look through one of the stones. All she saw though was multiple Pascals reflected in each of the many facets. The Pascals shook their heads. Nope not something you look through. Still pondering it over, Rapunzel slowly turned to face the mirror.

For the life of her, she couldn't fathom why she did so, but as she looked at her reflection she lifted the thing and set it on her head. It settled across her brow as if made for it. And in that moment, as she stared at herself, something happened. The image in the mirror changed and she was no longer looking at herself. Or rather, she _was_ , but it wasn't a version she recognised. The Rapunzel in the mirror was a little taller, broader in the shoulders, and _masculine_. Like but not quite like the man in her closet. Behind her, Pascal was staring, but then shook his head a third time.

Rapunzel blinked and the strange image was gone. She saw only herself with the weird metal circle on her head. _What was that?_ she wondered. _It was so strange_. She felt like she should know the man she had seen in the mirror, but she didn't know why.

Before she could think any further on it, she suddenly heard Mother calling, " _Rapunzel!_ " Rapunzel gasped in surprise and spun away from the mirror, bumping into it and making it spin around as well. She had completely forgotten that Mother would be back soon and here she was. She quickly yanked the metal thing off her head, snatched up the bag from the floor, and dropped both inside a large clay pot. She ran for the closed window as Mother added, " _Let down your hair!_ "

"One moment, Mother." She called back, looping her hair over the hook and tossing it down to her. This was perfect. She could show Mother the person locked in the closet as proof that Rapunzel was able to manage Outside. Then Mother would _have_ to agree to take her to see the floating lights.

"I have a big surprise!" Mother shouted up to her as she took up the end of Rapunzel's hair.

"Uh… I do too." She replied as she started pulling her mother up the tower.

"Ooh! I bet my surprise is bigger!" Mother answered excitedly.

Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder at the wardrobe and muttered, "I seriously doubt it." There was no way that Mother's surprise would top a person in a closet.

As Mother reached the window, she swung around on the rope of hair. "I brought back parsnips. I'm going to make hazelnut soup for dinner. Your favourite." She sat on the window ledge and swung her legs inside. Standing up she spread her arms. "Surprise!"

Normally Rapunzel would be thrilled at the prospect of hazelnut soup. She loved having hazelnut soup. It was a special meal that Mother only made on special occasions. This time, however, Rapunzel had more important things to discuss with her mother than soup. "Well, Mother, there's something I want to tell you."

Mother apparently didn't hear her as she draped her cloak on the wall rack. "Oh, Rapunzel, you know I hate leaving you after a fight. Especially when I've done absolutely nothing wrong." She walked across the room to the table to unload her basket.

"Okay." Rapunzel continued quickly. She really didn't want Mother to just brush this off like last time. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier…"

"I hope you're not still talking about the stars." Mother interrupted without turning around as she set the basket on the table.

Rapunzel felt compelled to correct her mother. As she inched her way over to the closet she said, "Floating lights. And, yes, I'm leading up to that."

Mother's tone became irritated as she spoke over her shoulder. "Because I really thought we dropped the issue, sweetheart." It was clear by her tone and words that Mother did not want to listen to anything Rapunzel had to say on the subject.

"No, Mother, I'm just saying, you _think_ I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there." Rapunzel pressed on, not wanting to miss her chance to prove herself to Mother. She started to reach for the chair blocking the closet doors.

"Oh, darling," Mother looked back at Rapunzel as she took several parsnips out of the basket. Her words were amusingly cruel. "I _know_ you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there."

"But if you _just_ …" Rapunzel implored.

Mother cut her off sharply. "Rapunzel, we are _done_ talking about this."

Frustrated, Rapunzel cried, "Trust me!"

"Rapunzel." Mother bit off warningly.

"I know what I'm…" She kept going right over top of her mother's warning.

"Rapunzel." This time was sharper than the last.

Heedlessly, Rapunzel continued, "Oh, come on!"

"Enough with the lights, Rapunzel!" Mother suddenly yelled, her silver grey eyes flashing. " _You are not leaving this tower!_ _ **EVER**_ _!_ "

Rapunzel froze with a wounded expression on her face. Her hand lifted off the back of the chair. Mother had yelled at her many times before, but not like this. This time had a definite finality to it. And she could actually feel her dreams of seeing the floating lights crumble to dust in light of that finality.

With a frustrated huff, Mother dropped into her chair and rubbed her forehead. "Great. Now _I'm_ the bad guy."

Stunned into wordlessness, Rapunzel looked up at her painting of the lights. She had thought that it was just a simple, easy request; going to see them. Was she wrong? _What if_ _ **Mother**_ _didn't take you?_ asked a sneaky treacherous voice in her head. It was a voice that Rapunzel hardly recognised as hers. _What if… you went on your own?_ Was that the answer? Rapunzel wasn't sure. But how? If Mother didn't take her, how would she make it to where the lights were safely?

 _You have a person in your closet,_ the voice reminded her. Rapunzel's eyes darted to the wardrobe beside her. The voice continued, _You could get_ _ **him**_ _to take you._ That was it! Still, if Mother wouldn't let her go on her own and wouldn't take her; she certainly wouldn't let Rapunzel go with some stranger. The voice had an answer for that too. _Mother doesn't have to know. All you have to do is get her out of the tower for a few days. That should be long enough to see the lights._

How was she supposed to do that, especially with Mother so angry at her right now? _Tell her you want something else for your birthday. Something she would think was better than the lights._

Taking a deep breath, Rapunzel stepped in front of the wardrobe and spread out her hair to hide the chair holding it closed. She prayed that Mother hadn't noticed it yet. "All I was going to say, Mother, is that… I know what I want for my birthday now."

"And _what_ is _that_?" Mother asked in an irritated tone, not even looking at Rapunzel.

"New paint." Rapunzel answered timidly, folding her arms against her stomach. That had been the first thing that had popped into her mind. It was something plausible and something that Mother usually didn't object to getting for her. "The paint made from the white shells you once brought me." she added. Part of her was agonizing over the lie, but another part, the one the voice came from, was congratulating her on the idea.

Mother looked up at her with narrowed eyes. "Well, _that_ is a very long trip, Rapunzel. Almost three days' time."

 _Exactly_ , Rapunzel thought. _That should be plenty of time._ Still, judging by Mother's words, she wasn't quite convinced of the idea. What could Rapunzel say that would do the job? An idea hit and Rapunzel quickly put it into motion. "I just thought it was a better idea than the… stars." She tried not to winch at using Mother's term for the lights, but if that was what it took. She looked down at the floor and watched Mother through her lashes.

Mother looked at her for a long moment before letting out a sigh. She got up out of her chair and walked over to Rapunzel. "You're sure you'll be all right on your own?" she asked.

Rapunzel smiled, mostly in relief that Mother was agreeing. She hugged her mother tightly. "I know I'm safe as long as I'm here." To her further relief, Mother hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.

Rapunzel quickly made up Mother's basket, filling it with bread, cheese, and a few apples. Mother swung her cloak over her shoulders and fastened it as Rapunzel brought her the basket. As Mother went to slide back down Rapunzel's hair, she paused. Worry filled Rapunzel. Worry that Mother was about to change her mind. Rapunzel held her breath.

But Mother only looked at her and said, "I'll be back in three days' time. I love you very much, dear."

Rapunzel let out her breath and smiled warmly. "I love you more."

"I love you most." Mother finished and went out the window. Rapunzel held steady as her mother descended the tower and remained watching from the window as Mother made her way across the valley. Just before entering the tunnel, Mother paused and waved up to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel waved back.

With that final goodbye, Mother was gone. Rapunzel waited a few seconds just to be sure she had really left before darting away from the window, her hair whipping up inside after her. She snatched up the frying pan, thankful that Mother never noticed or questioned why it was on the floor. She made her way over to the chair in front of the closet. Carefully she lifted it away from the doors. To her relief, they didn't fall open right away. That meant they were still firmly closed. Rapunzel stepped back and placed the chair in front of her as something to hide behind.

Clutching the frying pan tightly, Rapunzel took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Okay." She muttered before picking up a length of her hair and whipping it towards the wardrobe's handles. She gave a pull and the doors slowly swung open.

For a moment nothing happened.

Then the strange man toppled forward and fell face-first onto the floor. Rapunzel jumped a little in surprise. She had expected him to come leaping out of the closet and try to attack her for daring to lock him in there. _Did I hit him harder than I thought?_ she wondered. After a moment, the man slid along the floor, stretching out for the hunched position he had landed in, until only his booted toes remained inside the wardrobe. When he didn't move again, Rapunzel stepped closer and leaned over his prone form. _Yup, just maybe hit him a little too hard. But now what do I do with him?_ She hummed in thought.

After consulting with Pascal, who was of little help and thought they should just toss the man out the window, she finally came up with a plan. She quickly went around the tower, closing the windows except the skylight hatch. Then she heaved the unconscious man into the chair she had used to block the closet doors. Having no other kind of rope, Rapunzel used her hair to tie him into place. Once the man was secured, she dragged the chair into the circle of sunlight made by the skylight and climbed up to the safety of the rafters.

For his part, Pascal clambered onto the man's shoulder and prepared to wake him up. Rapunzel watched him eye the man suspiciously and then smack his cheek as hard as the chameleon could. Pascal instantly crouched down and turned blue like the man's tunic, trying to hide.

The man didn't even twitch.

Annoyed now, Pascal whipped his cheek a few times with his tail. Then the chameleon tried poking the man, which also didn't work. Getting no response, Pascal considered his options, turned to face the man's ear and opened his mouth. Rapunzel couldn't help but flinch as Pascal's tongue hit the man's ear. She knew just how startling a wake-up _that_ was.

But it worked. The man's head shot up as he yelped in shock. Pascal fell off his shoulder from the sudden movement.

"Huh? What…" The man mumbled as he looked around in surprise. Then he seemed to notice his bindings and started to struggle against them. "Is this hair?" he asked aloud, his brown eyes following the trail of Rapunzel's hair as it looped across the room and up to where Rapunzel was hiding. His voice was surprisingly high for a man's. Not that Rapunzel had any experience, but Mother had always said that Men had deep rumbling voices like a bears.

Rapunzel shook herself to gather back her wandering thoughts. "Struggling… Struggling is pointless." She called out as she ducked back against one of the roof beams, mentally berating the stutter. She had wanted to appear brave before this stranger.

The man squinted up at her with confusion on his face and muttered, "Huh?"

 _Maybe he can't hear me from up here_ , Rapunzel thought. She clambered down from her perch, a little unnerved by the way the man's eyes followed her decent. She remained in the shadows near the door to Mother's room as she spoke again. "I know why you're here and I'm _not_ afraid of you."

Again the man murmured a confused, "What?" as he tried to get a good look at her.

Taking a deep breath, Rapunzel stepped into the light slowly. "Who are you? And how did you find me?" she demanded.


	5. Making A Deal

**AN:** Okay, a couple of things. Yes this is a Genderbent story. I have seen a couple of them and wanted to do my own. Also, you probably noticed that Rapunzel was thinking of Flynn as male in the last chapter. That's the way I wanted to do it. She doesn't know he's a she, though you can all pretty much guess when that is going to come out. And yes, Rapunzel is going to end up male in the end. How that happens you'll just have to see.

* * *

Flynn stared in shock at the blonde girl standing in front of her. She couldn't believe it. This chit, this little slip of a nothing, this girl with a stupid amount of blonde hair, had managed to take out her, _Flynn Rider_ , the kingdom's greatest thief? And judging by the ache in her head, this girl had done it with that frying pan she clutched in her hands. Flynn was left so gobsmacked by this that she barely heard the girl's question.

"Uh huh…" she slowly stammered, not even realizing she was even speaking, let alone what she was saying.

The girl hefted her frying pan a little higher and pulled it back, ready to swing. " _Who_ are you and _how_ did you find me?" she asked again in a firmer tone, enunciating her words carefully as if she was speaking to a stupid person. And at that moment, Flynn couldn't help but feel a little bit like a stupid person.

 _Pull yourself together, Flynn!_ she scolded herself mentally. _If this girl means business, and it looks like she does, you need to get her to untie you so you can get out of here! Throw some of that Flynn Charm her way so she'll let you go!_ Plan set, Flynn cleared her throat and dropped the pitch of her voice back Flynn's usual tones. "I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you. But may I just say…" Flynn closed her eyes, bowing her head a little before looking back at the girl and flashing Flynn's most charming smile. "Hi."

The girl didn't even bat an eye.

Not to be deterred, Flynn continued with her planned introduction. "How ya doing? The name's Flynn Rider. How's your day going? Huh?"

In response the girl only looked confused. She glanced around as if looking for the person Flynn was speaking to. Finally the girl scoffed and continued with her interrogation. "Who _else_ knows my location, _Flynn Rider_?" she sneered Flynn's name as she swung her frying pan far too close to Flynn's face for her comfort. Flynn leaned as far back as the chair she was tied to allowed to avoid it. For good measure she even pushed the chair up a little on two legs with her toes.

 _This is getting ridiculous,_ she thought irritated. "All right, blondie…"

"Rapunzel." Blondie insisted.

Flynn blinked. That couldn't possibly be the girl's name, could it? It sounded more like something you might accidentally say when you sneezed. "Gesundheit. Here's the deal." She continued on quickly. "I was in a situation, gallivanting through the forest." Unable to really move, Flynn emphasised her story as best she could. She pointed her thumbs at herself and then wiggled her fingers to represent the _gallivanting_. Oddly enough, she found that what she was telling the girl was partly the truth. It really depended on your definition of gallivanting though. Then she pointed at Rapunzel as she said, "I came across your tower, and…" her words came to a halt as she realized something. Something very Important.

Her satchel was missing!

"Oh! Oh, no!" she cried, clutching the arms of the chair and looking around desperately for it. She looked back at Rapunzel and demanded, "Where is my satchel?"

To her intense fury, the girl smugly folded her arms, tucked the frying pan under one arm, and smirked. "I've hidden it. Somewhere you'll never find it."

Flynn gave her a thoroughly unamused look. _There is no_ _ **way**_ _I'm taking that lying… err, tied to this chair_ , she thought furiously. This girl couldn't seriously think that, having said something like _that,_ Flynn wouldn't make it her mission to find her satchel. That crown was hers! She had stolen it fair and square! She shoved her fury back into its corner and looked around the room as calmly as possible. Nothing really stood out to her as a hiding place until her eyes fell on a round clay pot painted with band of flowers. She pointed at it and said, "It's in that pot, isn't it." It wasn't a question.

Rapunzel's reaction was not what Flynn had expected, though in retrospect she really should have. The girl swung back the frying pan and CLANG.

The room went dark.

The second time Flynn awoke… Or was it the third? She thought it might be only because she had the vague memory of waking up on the floor of this benighted tower at some point earlier. In any event, this time Flynn groaned as she came to slowly. The first thing she noticed was Rapunzel standing in front of her in that same arms-crossed smug pose as before. The second thing she noticed was that she was still tied to the chair and the third thing was that there was something wet and sticky in her left ear. She glanced to see what that wet and sticky thing was. On her shoulder crouched a little green lizard frog thing. And the wet and sticky thing _was its tongue_!

"GAH!" she yelped, jerking her head. The frog-lizard creature fell off and Flynn scrubbed her ear against her shoulder to get the gross feeling out of it. "Would you _stop_ that!" she snarled.

"Now it's hidden somewhere you'll never find it." Rapunzel said, obviously very pleased with herself. Flynn glared at the girl, certain not amused by all this. But blondie apparently had more questions for her. The girl flicked back some of her insanely long hair and began circling Flynn's chair. Flynn flinched back as the girl flipped her frying pan at her face threateningly. "So, what do you want with my hair? To cut it?"

Flynn did her best to keep an eye on the girl as she moved around her. The questions confused her though. "What?" Why was the girl going on about her hair like that?

As Rapunzel came around the back of Flynn's chair she stuck the frying pan under Flynn's chin, forcing her to lift her head out of the way. "Sell it?" she asked now.

"Nooo!" Flynn answered emphatically. This girl's hair was the last thing she wanted. "Listen, the only thing I want to do with _your_ hair, is to get out of it!" Rapunzel walked around and behind the chair again as Flynn plead her case. And to emphasis her point Flynn pulled a little at the bonds as she enunciated each syllable of her next word. "Lit-er-al-ly!"

"You…" Blondie started to say and then stopped. She paused and then asked, as if in surprise, "Wait. You _don't_ want my hair?"

Flynn gave her a weird look. _What on earth has this girl been smoking? Why would anyone want someone's hair?_ She thought and then voiced that same thought. "Why on earth would I want your _hair_? Look, I was being chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it." She slouched down in the chair and muttered. "End of story."

"You're…" Rapunzel stammered as she flipped the frying pan back at Flynn, "… telling the truth?"

"Yes!" Flynn insisted, stressing the sibilant. _Why is that so hard to believe?_ she thought. Admittedly, having Flynn tell the truth was a rarity. Still this girl shouldn't know that. Judging by the fact that she didn't seem to recognize Flynn, either by name or face, meant that Rapunzel didn't get out much.

Rapunzel hummed thoughtfully. Sudden the lizard-frog popped out from behind her neck and onto her shoulder. It glared at Flynn from its perch and then scampered down the girls arm to the edge of the frying pan within inches of Flynn's face. Flynn stared at it unblinking. It was actually growling as it looked her up and down. Finally it looked back at the girl and pointed with its tail. As Rapunzel withdrew the frying pan it narrowed its eyes and growled again at Flynn.

Flynn blinked. She was almost sure the thing was giving her the stink eye.

Rapunzel moved off to have a whispered conversation with her pet/watchdog/lizard creature. But seeing as A: the tower room wasn't that big to begin with, and B: she had used her hair to tie Flynn up, she hadn't gone very far and Flynn could hear every word. Though what the girl was saying made little sense.

"I know. I need someone to take me." Rapunzel was saying. The frog thing squeaked much like it was making some sort of comment. To which the girl replied, "I think he's telling the truth, too."

Flynn leaned a little to the side as she stared at the pair. Part of her was at least relieved that despite all the time she had apparently spent unconscious around this girl, Rapunzel had not discovered Flynn's real sex. Mostly though she was thinking that this was insane and she needed to get out of here now, satchel or no satchel.

As Flynn looked for some way to escape, Rapunzel was saying, "He doesn't have fangs. But what choice do I have?"

Spotting the window she had entered through, Flynn got an idea. If she could just get over there, she could maybe throw herself out the window, the hair would unwind from around her and she could escape. With that in mind she started to wiggle and use her weight to get the chair she was tied up to to move towards that window. But too late. Rapunzel had finished her 'conversation' with the frog-lizard and straightened.

"Okay, _Flynn Rider_ ," she said in a louder voice. Flynn froze at the sound of her name. "I'm prepared to offer you a deal."

"Deal?" Flynn asked suspiciously. Deals were never good things. No one _ever_ offered a fair deal.

Rapunzel ignored the question as she walked across the room. "Look this way." She said as she pulled on the loose part of her hair that was connected to Flynn's chair. Flynn quickly realized that the girl didn't know her own strength as the hair, which had gotten wrapped around the bottom of the chair, spun the chair around twice. The chair tipped up on its front legs and before Flynn could react, she was kissing the floor.

"Do you know what these are?" she heard the girl ask from somewhere above her. Flynn managed to tilt her head just enough to see out of the corner of her eye that Rapunzel was standing on top of the mantle-piece and holding back a heavy drape to reveal a painting on the wall.

Not a picture in a proper frame, but actually painted on the wall. And it was of something that Flynn recognized quite easily. You had to be a dunce not to know what it was. _Or living in a tower, apparently_ , she thought. "You mean the lantern thing they do for the Heir?" She asked, her voice muffled due to her face being pressed into the floor tiles.

"Lanterns?" Blondie murmured to herself. She looked up at the painting with awed understanding, as if Flynn's answer confirmed something to her. "I knew they weren't stars." She paused before taking a deep breath and looking down at Flynn, apparently all business again. "Well, tomorrow evening, they will light the night sky with these _lanterns_. You," She pointed her frying pan at Flynn. "will act as my guide, take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely. Then, and only then," Now she gave a breathless chuckle. "will I return your satchel to you. _That_ is my deal." The lizard-frog on her shoulder gave a decisive nod as well.

Flynn mentally cursed. She knew it. She _knew_ it! She knew any deal would not be in her favour at all. And this particular deal had the added 'benefit' of possibly getting her killed, or worse arrested. Going to Corona right now was the biggest, bad-est idea ever. It was the very epitome of Bad Idea. It was almost literally suicide. Clearly she was going to have to spell out exactly why this was to this girl. But she wouldn't be able to do that with her face mashed against the floor. So she pushed herself and the chair up with her fingers and slung all her weight to one side. The chair tipped onto its side as a result.

"Yeah. No can do." She told Rapunzel. "Unfortunately the kingdom and I aren't exactly _simpatico_ at the moment," She made air quotes as she said that particular word. It was the biggest understatement ever, but this girl didn't need to know that. "so I won't be taking you anywhere."

For one brief second she thought she had gotten through to this girl. That this little trip of hers had a snowball's chance in Hell of happening. Then Rapunzel glanced at her pet creature. It actually made a pounding fist motion. It obviously thought they should move on to threats. Flynn couldn't help but wonder exactly how intelligent the blasted thing was.

 _Oh come off it, Flynn,_ she told herself silently, _it's a frog… lizard… whatever!_

Rapunzel's lips tightened as she looked back at Flynn with determination. She picked up the hem of her too-short skirt and jumped down from the mantle. "Something brought you here, _Flynn_ _Rider_." She said as she picked up the rope of hair between her and where Flynn's chair was. She started to pull on it, which caused the hair to tighten around Flynn's legs and tip the chair upright at the same time. Flynn raised a surprised eyebrow. The girl was _a lot_ stronger than she looked. Rapunzel gathered the hair to her, slowly walking closer to Flynn. She continued, "Call it what you will, Fate, Destiny…"

Flynn was completely nonplussed. _This_ was absolutely absurd. Fate and Destiny had _nothing_ to do with it. The only things that had brought her to this stupid tower were pure dumb luck and… "A horse." She said bluntly.

The girl ignored her comment. "But I have made the decision to trust you."

Flynn wanted to laugh at that. _No one_ trusted Flynn. No one had any reason to. If anyone was asked, Flynn was completely _un_ -trust _worthy_. Her whole criminal life was based on a string of broken trust. The Stabbingtons were only the most recent in a long line of people whose trust she had broken. _This girl has_ _ **no**_ _idea, does she?_ she thought, carefully keeping her face blank. "A horrible decision, really." Flynn warned.

"But trust _me_ when I tell you _this_." Rapunzel was not deterred by the warning in the slightest. She yanked on the hair in her hands, jerking the chair forward. For a second, Flynn thought she was about to hit the floor again, but Rapunzel's hand shot out and caught the back of the chair just behind her left shoulder. Flynn found herself within inches of Rapunzel's face. The girl leaned in and hissed menacingly, "You can tear this tower apart brick by brick, but without _my_ help, you will _never_ find your precious _satchel_."

"Let me just get this straight." Flynn said after clearing her throat. It wasn't that she was considering the deal. She most certainly _was not_. She just wanted to buy herself a little more time to think of a way to weasel out of it. " _I_ take you to see the lanterns, bring you back _home_ , and you'll give me _back_ my satchel?"

"I promise." Blondie replied firmly. Flynn opened her mouth to say something but closed it and let her expression speak for her. To her mind, Promises were cheap. Easily made and just as easily broken. She should know. She had made _and_ broken hundreds of them over the years. Rapunzel must have clearly seen the disbelief in Flynn's eyes for she added, "And when I promise something, I never, ever _break_ that promise."

Flynn raised an eyebrow. _Yeah, right. Like I'm going to believe that_.

" _ **Ever**_." The girl emphasised slowly. From its perch on her shoulder the lizard-frog thing, who had been glaring at Flynn the entire time, nodded in agreement.

Looking from reptile to girl, Flynn considered her options. Rapunzel seemed determined to not back down from her deal. But what she couldn't possible know was that Flynn was equally determined _not_ to agree to it. _Well,_ she thought, _nothing for it, it seems. Time to bring out the Big Cannon_. This was not something Flynn looked forward to doing. She never liked doing this. "All right, listen. I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes the Smolder."

This was Flynn's greatest trick. Her secret weapon as it were. Many times she had used the Smolder to get herself out of sticker situations than this. She couldn't recall any particular time at the moment, but she was sure one existed. Flynn had never met a woman, and surprisingly few men, who could resist it. Funnily enough, despite what people assumed because of not knowing she was female, Flynn had never followed up on the Smolder with anyone she used it on. Yes, she used it to flirt with women, but that was only because it was, in a way, expected of her male persona. She bowed her head and closed her eyes for a moment, settling her mind and face into the exact frame needed. Once ready, she looked back up at Rapunzel, Smolder turned on full force.

The girls determined expression didn't change a hair. Not even the frog's glare changed! Flynn blinked. This was impossible. She couldn't believe it. It made no sense. She just could _not_ believe that of _all_ people, she would end up being held hostage and blackmailed by this little slip of a girl and her frog who were both immune to the Smolder!

"This is kind of an off day for me. This doesn't normally happen." She muttered quietly. _This is_ _ **so**_ _not fair! Is the only way out of this going to be agreeing to her blasted_ _ **deal**_ _?_ She really, really didn't want to. For some reason she just knew that taking this girl to see the lanterns would end very badly. Unfortunately she could see there was no hope for it. She sighed in frustration, "Fine! I'll take you to see the lanterns!"

Rapunzel's whole manner changed in the instant that Flynn agreed. From determined to exuberant in one second. "Really?" she squealed gleefully, standing up straight and letting go of the chair at the same time. Bad move on her part. Flynn's chair fell forward without her supporting it. Flynn cried out in pain as her face met the floor once more with a thud. From above her, she heard Rapunzel mutter, "Oops."

' _Oops'? 'Oops' is all you have to say?!_ Flynn thought, wanting to scream. _'Oops' my ass, blondie! You knew that would happen, and it bloody well hurts._ For some reason, though, she didn't say any of that out loud. Instead Flynn just gasped out painfully, "You broke my Smolder."


	6. Leaving For The First Time

**AN:** I've added a bit of extra to this part. Mostly because I felt it needed a bit more interaction between the two. I will say it was fun writing Rapunzel's mood swings. I hope I did justice to that bit.

 _Mira Nova 23_ : Thank you for your review on my _Crossroads_ story and your review of this one.

* * *

"Sorry! Sorry!" Rapunzel quickly apologized as she lifted Flynn's chair off the floor. She honestly hadn't meant to let go of it. She was just so relieved that he had finally agreed to take her to the lanterns. Flynn scrunched up his face a few times as if getting everything to settle back into place after so many times of hitting the floor with it. He then gave her a slightly sour look and Rapunzel wondered if he actually believed her apology. She wasn't used to such a mistrustful attitude. She returned his sour look with a hesitant smile. "So, shall we go?"

Flynn raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly down at the loops of her hair securing him to the chair. "Might be a good idea to untie me first. I would imagine that dragging me around in this chair is… Well, it's going to put a bit of a damper on this venture of yours."

Rapunzel felt her cheeks heat up a bit in embarrassment. "Right. Just a moment." As quickly as she could Rapunzel circled around the chair, untangling her hair as she went. Her new guide watched her closely as she moved. And once or twice, Flynn got oddly tense when Rapunzel got particularly close. But, having no idea if that was normal for someone from Outside, Rapunzel paid it no mind. She stepped back once the last bindings were gone and Flynn stood up.

He stretched his arms over his head with a soft groan and cracked his neck. Rapunzel winched and made a grossed out face as the sound. Flynn saw and looked a little pleased with himself at her reaction. Then he took a long look around the tower room. For a moment Rapunzel was worried that he would find the new hiding place of his satchel but all he said was, "So, care to show me the stairs to get out of this place?"

She shrugged. "There aren't any stairs to get out."

Once more Flynn gave her the look that he had when she had made her promise to return his satchel once _he_ returned _her_ home safely. Then he closed his brown eyes and shook his head. "Of course there aren't. Wonderful." He muttered and then said in a louder voice. "Well then, we have a little problem. You see blondie, climbing up here was no easy task, I don't mind telling you. I had a couple of tools to do it and I distinctly remember putting them in my satchel." He looked at her expectantly.

That sort of made sense. After all, Mother had needed either the old rope ladder or Rapunzel's hair to get in and out of the tower. And she was hesitant to let him climb down using her hair. "What do these tools look like?" she asked. "Because I'm not showing you where I hid your satchel."

"I wouldn't _dream_ of asking, but I _am_ going to need them back." Flynn replied with an odd smile. "They're two arrows, sort of." At Rapunzel's blank look he held up both hands about a foot and a half apart. "About yea long, made of wood, hardened metal tip on one end, feathers on the other. Unless you have something like that…"

"Well, no." Rapunzel answered and thought for a moment. Finally she said, "Turn around and face the window."

Flynn blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

She folded her arms and tried to look determined. "I told you. I'm not showing you where I hid your satchel, so face the window so I can get these arrow things from it." When he still didn't move she pointed to the window firmly. "Turn around. And don't even think about peeking because Pascal will be watching."

"Pascal?" the man asked as he eyed her. From Rapunzel's shoulder, the chameleon chirruped threats at him. Flynn's eyes went to Pascal for a moment before he rolled them. Finally he complied with Rapunzel's order to face the window, muttering. "Lovely. It has a _name_."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Pascal take offense to being referred to as an 'it'. Rapunzel put up a hand to comfort him, whispering, "Nevermind. Just keep an eye on him." She went over to the table next to the stairs up to her room and set Pascal down on it. Before she could go to the hiding spot, her friend gave a loud angry squeak. Rapunzel turned around to see Flynn with his head turned just enough to look over his shoulder at her. "Flynn!" she scolded.

"Sorry. My bad." He turned around again. Rapunzel eyed his back, unsure. He hadn't sounded very sincere.

 _Just get those things quickly so he doesn't do that again._ She told herself. Quickly and quietly she pulled up the tread of the bottom step. Underneath was a small compartment between the risers for the first step and the second. And in that compartment was Flynn's satchel. Rapunzel pulled it out and flipped open the cover. She actually hadn't noticed anything else inside when she had stuffed the metal circle back in there. Now she saw not only it, but a large piece of paper and the two arrows Flynn had asked for. Rapunzel took out the arrows and then eyed the paper. She was a little curious to see what was on it, but then Pascal gave another of his warning growls and she quickly hid the satchel again.

She scooped up Pascal and went over to Flynn, holding out the arrows. "Here you are."

He turned to face her and plucked the things from her hand. "Thanks muchly." He looked down at them for a moment and then at her. "You're not expecting me to carry you down, are you?"

"No." Rapunzel replied after blinking at him. The thought had never even occurred to her.

"Good, because I wasn't offering." With that, Flynn flung open the window and started to swing his body over the sill. Rapunzel went over to the fireplace to retrieve her frying pan from where she had left moments ago. From behind her, Flynn called, "Let me guess. You're leaving a note."

She turned to see him hanging half out the window. Rapunzel frowned a little and huffed as she came over. "I am not. I don't have to. Mother's not going to be home for three days." Her eyes widened a little and she covered her lips with her free hand. She hadn't meant to let that part slip.

"Mother, huh?" Flynn asked, raising an eyebrow. Then he smirked a little. "Does she know you're sneaking out?"

 _How does he know that's what I'm doing?_ She thought aghast. Quickly she frowned and blustered. "That's none of your business, all right. In fact, I don't even want to talk about her."

"All right, all right. Fine. Whatever." Flynn responded, "Not like I care." And with that, he began the long climb out of the tower.

Rapunzel stepped up onto the windowsill and looped her hair up over the hook like so many times before. This time felt so different. This time it would be her who would swing out and slide down instead of Mother. An uneasy feeling started deep in her belly.

From below Flynn called up, "You coming, blondie?"

She didn't answer. After tucking the frying pan under her arm, she just stepped up to the very edge of the sill to look down at the valley floor so very far below her bare toes. Between her and the ground was Flynn, making his slow way down the side of the tower. Or maybe not so slow; he was about a third of the way down already.

Rapunzel took a deep breath as she leaned out over the edge, clinging to her hair. " _ **Look at the world, so close and I'm halfway to it. Look at it all so big, do I even dare?**_ " She looked up and out at the clear blue sky above and the few wispy clouds hanging in it. Now that it was time to leave her home, all the bravery and excitement in doing so had vanished. She looked back over her shoulder at the painting of the lights, no lanterns. " _ **Look at me there at last, I just have to do it. Should I?**_ " she paused for a moment. Maybe she should just stay.

" _ **No. Here I go.**_ " The risk was worth it, she decided finally. Pascal clambered up onto her shoulder and tied one of the ribbons from her dress around his little green waist. He gave her a thumbs-up and she chuckled at him. Quickly, before she could think twice about it, Rapunzel bent and tossed the rest of her hair out the window. It tumbled down the length of the tower, right pass a gawking Flynn. Rapunzel threw herself out the window after it, sliding down her hair rapidly.

She giggled giddily as she zipped right by Flynn who was forced to duck to avoid being knocked off. Rapunzel barely noticed how close she had gotten to him. She was too caught up in the thrill of free-fall. But like all good things, this came to an end very quickly as she reached the bottom of the tower. Rapunzel tightened her grip on her hair and came to a sudden stop just a few feet from the ground. She stared at it wide-eyed. It was the first time she had _ever_ seen it up close.

Slowly, very slowly, she set down one foot. Then the other. She laughed a little as she wriggled her toes in the green grass. Dropping the frying pan, Rapunzel picked up the edge of her dress before dropping to her knees and sprawling halfway onto her back on the cool earth. " _ **Just smell the grass, the dirt, just like I dreamed they'd be. Just feel the summer breeze, the way it's calling me.**_ "

She turned over to gaze at the puff of a dandelion flower. A brisk zephyr caught the seed head and caused the puff to break apart. Rapunzel jumped to her feet and chased after it, reaching out to catch the little seeds dancing in the air. She suddenly gasped as her feet encountered the water of the stream. " _ **For, like, the first time ever I'm completely free!**_ " She bent down and scooped up a double handful of water and threw it into the air. A bird flew by overhead and Rapunzel spun around to see the tunnel leading out of the valley.

" _ **I could go running and racing,**_ " Without even remembering about Flynn, who was almost to the bottom of the tower, Rapunzel took to what she was singing and ran for the tunnel, " _ **and dancing and chasing and leaping and bounding, hair flying, heart pounding, and splashing and reeling and finally feeling…**_ "

By then she had burst out through the hanging curtain of ivy on the far side of the tunnel. Slowly she spun around about three times as a flock of birds swooped by. " _ **That's when my life begins!**_ " she couldn't help but belt out. Rapunzel looked around, running her hands over her cheeks as she grinned widely. "I can't believe I did this!" Then she gasped as the impact of what she was doing hit. Stunned and almost horrified, she muttered "I can't believe I did this. I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THIS!" The third repetition was again joyful as she bounced up and down with giddiness.

By this time Flynn had joined her, her forgotten frying pan dangling from one hand. He didn't look the least bit impressed. She hardly paid any attention though. At that moment, she remembered her mother's reaction to Rapunzel just asking to leave the tower. If her reaction then had been bad, Rapunzel didn't even want to think about what it would be now. "Mother would be so furious."

"I thought we weren't going to talk about your mother." Flynn said as he held out the frying pan.

Rapunzel didn't pay any attention to him. Her mind was filled with all the times Mother had ever gotten mad at her for some transgression or another. She wandered down to a small pond dotted with water lilies in bloom. The bright green pads and delicate pink flowers drew her out of her worried thoughts. Rapunzel carefully hopped from stone to stone and sat on a rock in the middle of the pond. She picked up one of the floating blossoms. The flowers looked a little like the lanterns and that reminded her of why she had sent Mother on such a long errand. She smiled brightly.

"But that's okay." she said to herself. "I mean, what she doesn't know won't kill her, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Flynn asked from behind her. Rapunzel started, she had completely forgotten about him. She turned to see him looking at her from the shore, one hand propped on his hip.

She dropped the flower back in the water and stood up. "Nothing. Never mind." As she came back to where he stood, she could see by his expression that he didn't quite believe her. Wordlessly he held out the frying pan again and this time she took it from him. They walked side by side for a short while until Rapunzel saw another dark cave very much like the tunnel that lead from her valley. That resemblance was enough to set her off again. Rapunzel crept inside the cave and sat down, drawing her knees up against her chest. "Oh my gosh! This would _kill_ her." She sobbed.

From outside the cave, Flynn sighed and said, "You know what? When you're done in there, I'll just be waiting over here."

It took a few moments for Rapunzel's mood to shift back into excitement. As she came out of the cave she looked around for her erstwhile guide. She spotted Flynn standing at the bottom of a hill examining his nails with a bored expression. Gleefully she ran full tilt down the hill. "This is SO fun!" She shouted as she kicked through a pile of leaves.

Flynn flinched and he scowled as the leaves hit him in the face.

A while later, as Rapunzel was climbing up a huge tree she realized that just maybe she shouldn't be having as much fun Outside as she was. After all she had lied to Mother just so she could sneak out in the first place. She leaned forward and pressed her head against the truck of the oak.

"I," she muttered, "am a _horrible_ daughter. I'm going back." But just as she got out of the tree, her resolve to return home disappeared. She laughed once more and started doing cartwheels down a long hill. "I am _never_ going back!" she shouted as, doing the second cartwheel, she lost her balance. She rolled down the hill, her long hair wrapping around her until she was cocooned. She was giggling happily by the time she reached the bottom.

She looked up to see Flynn standing over her. He had both hands on his hips. "Serious? You can't even move now." With a sigh, he helped her onto her feet and began to unwrap her from her hair. A little to Rapunzel's surprise, he was very careful about it, very much unlike how Mother would have been. That is until he spoke next, "You know blondie, if you cut all this hair off, things like this wouldn't happen."

"Absolutely not!" she snapped, horrified at such a suggestion. "Don't ever talk about my hair like that again!"

He raised an eyebrow up at her from where he knelt by her feet and then raised both hands. "Okay, okay. No need to get your knickers in a twist."

Rapunzel, suddenly realizing how much she had sounded like Mother in _her_ bad moments during that outburst, groaned and sat down abruptly in the long grass. Flynn didn't deserve to be yelled at. He couldn't have known the reason she never cut her hair. She flopped over onto her stomach and moaned "I am a _despicable_ human being!" She heard the sound of Flynn sitting beside her with a bored sigh.

"Here we go again." He muttered. When she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, she saw him looking off into the forest with his chin in one hand. After about a minute or two, he glanced at her. "Look, if you still want to do this, we need to keep moving."

"Right, right." she said, mood once more shifted. She jumped to her feet as Flynn got up. Together, they walked along a forest path. Rapunzel spotted an incredibly massive tree. With a grin she looked at her guide. "Hey, Flynn, watch this." She gathered up the end of her hair and whipped it into the air. It looped around a high branch. She took a running start and, just like she had done many times from the rafters in her tower, began swinging around and around the tree, whooping as she went. "Best. Day. Ever!"

She caught sight of Flynn leaning against the tree's trunk. He stood with his arms folded and a scowl on his face. She was having too much fun to care though.

But yet again, depression hit Rapunzel. A short while later found her huddled against a pile of rocks, knees drawn up and her face buried in her hands as she wept. Slowly footsteps approached and Flynn cleared his throat. "You know, I can't help but notice you seem a little at _war_ with yourself here."

Rapunzel looked to see him crouched on his heels beside her, fingering his chin thoughtfully. She wiped her eyes and asked, "What?"

"Now I'm just picking up bits and pieces of course." Flynn replied as he stood up. "Over-protective mother, forbidden road-trip. I mean, this is serious stuff. But let me ease your conscience. This is all part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure, that's good. Healthy even." He set his hands on his hips as Pascal climbed up onto his shoulder. Flynn noticed the chameleon and casually brushed him off.

"You think?" Rapunzel asked, chuckling a little as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

Flynn placed a hand over his heart. "I know. You are _way_ over-thinking this, trust me." He put one booted foot on top of the rock she was sitting against and leaned over his knee. "Does your mother deserve this? No. Will this break her heart and crush her soul? Of course." He answered each of his own questions. Then he stood straight again and folded his arms across his chest as he finished. "But you just got to do it."

Rapunzel felt a cold stab of horror as she heard those words. "Break her heart?" she repeated, looking up at Flynn.

"In half." He answered, calmly picked a small red berry from a twig caught in her hair.

"Crush her soul?" Rapunzel tugged at a lock of her hair, no longer seeing Flynn or anything really. All she could think about was the disappointment in Mother's face if, no when, no if, she found out about all this.

Flynn examined the berry for a moment and then popped it between his fingers. "Like a grape." He said nonchalantly.

Rapunzel barely heard him. "She _would_ be heartbroken. You're right."

"I am, aren't I?" Flynn said mournfully as he came over and lifted Rapunzel onto her feet. "Oh bother… All right. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm letting you out of the deal." As he walked pass her, his words suddenly made Rapunzel blink in surprise.

"What?" she asked shocked. _Wait a minute. That doesn't seem right_ , she thought.

Pascal climbed up onto the small boulder Rapunzel's frying pan was leaning against. Flynn stooped down to pick up both pan and chameleon. "That's right, but don't thank me. Let's just turn around and get you home. Here's your pan, here's your frog." He shoved the frying pan under Rapunzel's arm and dropped Pascal onto her shoulder. That done, he put his arm around her shoulders and began to lead her off. "I get back my satchel, you get back a mother-daughter relationship based on mutual trust, and, voilà, we part ways as unlikely friends."

As he spoke, Rapunzel and Pascal exchanged suspicious looks. There was something about what Flynn was saying that didn't seem to sound right. Rapunzel finally pushed away from him. "No. I am _seeing_ those lanterns." She said firmly.

All the congeniality that Flynn had been showing dropped completely from him. "Oh come on!" he cried in obvious frustration, "What's it going to take for me to get my satchel back?"

 _I knew it! This was all a trick!_ Rapunzel thought in annoyance. She jabbed her frying pan at Flynn's face. "I will use this." She threatened. In response, the man lifted both hands and leaned back. Just then a twig snapped nearby. From her shoulder Pascal squealed in fright and Rapunzel was not far behind him. She reacted without thinking, latching onto the only protection she had.

Flynn Rider.

The bushes next to them rustled and she squeaked in fright as she jumped onto his back. "Is it ruffians? Thugs? Have they come for me?" Rapunzel held the frying pan over his shoulder as she clung to him, not even realizing that she had pinned one of his arms to his side in her desperate attempt to almost merge with the man's back.

After the longest, most terrifying moment of her life, out of the bushes hopped a small grey rabbit. It looked up at them and just wriggled its nose.

Flynn's voice was as dry as powder as he said, "Stay calm. It can probably smell fear."

"Oh!" she breathed, chuckling in relief. _Well, that was embarrassing_. Rapunzel could feel her cheeks heat up as she clambered off the man's back. "Sorry. Guess I'm just a little bit… jumpy." She gave him sheepish smile.

"Probably be best if we avoid ruffians and thugs, though." Flynn commented as he tugged his tunic back into place. He gave her a speculating look, eyebrow raised.

Rapunzel laughed as lightly as she could, though it still tasted nervous to her. "Yeah, that would probably be best." On her shoulder, Pascal was still eyeing Flynn rather suspiciously.

Flynn looked thoughtful for just a moment and then grinned brightly. "Are you hungry?" he asked, setting his hands on his hips again. "I know a _great_ place for lunch."

"Where?" Rapunzel asked chuckling, caught a little off-guard at his sudden and enthusiastic suggestion. Truth to tell, she was getting a little hungry. Going through all those mood swings earlier had worked up a bit of an appetite. At her question, Flynn's grin broadened just a little.

"Oh, don't you worry." He said, grabbing the edge of her frying pan. He turned sharply on his heel and headed further off into the forest, pulling her along behind him. "You'll know it when you smell it."


	7. For A Song And A Dance

**AN:** I was worried that the last chapter was going to be too long. I started writing that extra bit I put at the beginning and it turned out to be longer than I thought it would be. But it only turned out to be just a little longer than the others.

 _Mira Nova23_ : No worries. Thank you for the review! I like Flynn's comments too and I really wanted to make note of Flynn's expressions during that part of the movie.

* * *

"Flynn?" Rapunzel asked. "Are we lost?"

"No, we're not lost, blondie." Flynn replied, trying to keep any trace of irritation from her voice.

"Pascal thinks we're lost." The girl continued.

 _Oh, what does a frog know?_ Flynn thought, annoyed by that. "Well, _Pascal_ is wrong because we are _not_ lost." It had only been a short time since the "bunny incident" (as Flynn was calling it in her head); no more than an hour, and this was the third time she had to fend off accusations of being lost from the girl and her stupid pet.

As they passed a tree stump, Rapunzel again spoke up. "He says we've passed this same stump five times already."

Flynn suppressed a growl of frustration. It would not do to get angry at Rapunzel. Not unless she wanted to give away her plan. "We are not _lost_ , okay?" she managed to get out through clenched teeth. "I know this forest like the back of my hand and I know… approximately where we are. It's just that the place I'm thinking of can be hard to find. That's all." She looked back at the blonde girl following behind her and forced a smile. "It shouldn't be too much further."

The look that Rapunzel was giving her was… Well on anyone else, Flynn would have immediately thought it was of false belief. But Rapunzel actually looked like she did believe her. For one second Flynn felt a little guilty about what she was about to do to the girl, but she quickly squashed that guilt and shoved it back in the corner where it came from. She hurried a little ahead of Rapunzel, finally reaching a path she recognized. "I know it's around here somewhere…" she looked around for a moment and then spotted just the place she was looking for. "Ah, there it is! The Snuggly Duckling. Don't worry. Very quaint place. Perfect for you." She glanced at her companion as Rapunzel came up beside her and set her hands on her hips. "Don't want you _scaring_ and giving up on this whole endeavor, now do we?"

Rapunzel hugged her frying pan to her chest and looked at the lizard-frog still clinging to her shoulder. "Well, I do like ducklings." She said, smiling brightly back at Flynn.

"Yay!" Flynn cheered sarcastically. It came out just a little higher than she would have liked though. Quickly she cleared her throat and led the way to the pub.

From the outside, the Snuggly Duckling looked just as cheerful and sweet as its namesake. Built against the base of a huge broad-leafed maple, the pub had once been a small inn. Over the years, however, as the tree grew, it slowly pushed the building off its foundations. As its dilapidated state increased, fewer and fewer honest travellers stopped there and an entirely different class of custom started to show up. The hum of men chattering that could be heard through the thick door attested to the fact that the place was just as full as Flynn had hoped it would be.

 _Perfect! Let's see how blondie handles this,_ she thought with carefully hidden amusement. As they reached that door, Flynn set one hand around Rapunzel's waist and hit the door with the palm of the other. The door flew open dramatically, something you normally didn't want to do in a place like the Snuggly Duckling. Dramatic entrances usually turned out badly for the person committing them. "Garçon, your finest table, please!" she cried, just to make sure that every eye in the place would instantly focus on them.

And that is exactly what happened.

Beside Flynn, Rapunzel gasped in shock. No surprise really since this pub was filled to the rafters with just the sort of ruffians and thugs that she apparently feared. Everywhere you looked were hulking brutes and sinister looking men. Most had various types of armour strapped on and all were armed in one fashion or another. There were horned helmets and greasy furs as clothing, heavy boots and spiked vambraces. It was lucky that the place wasn't very well lit inside. Even Flynn wouldn't want to see most of these men in any real light.

Rapunzel instantly thrust her frying pan out in front of her. Flynn smiled smugly with her hands on her hips as she watched Rapunzel's reaction. She mentally patted herself on the back for coming up with such a brilliant idea. The girl was terrified, but Flynn wasn't quite done with her yet. She set her hands on the blonde's shoulders and pushed her further into the Snuggly Duckling.

"You smell that? Take a deep breath through the nose." She suggested cheerfully, doing so herself. Flynn instantly regretted it. The odor of this place was horrendous. The stench of rancid grease, unwashed bodies, and stale beer was more than enough to gag a goat. This made it all the more surprising that one of the denizens actually was a goat. Flynn was also sure that if the smell or the clientele didn't kill you, whatever the cook was stirring in his cauldron would. If it had even a passing acquaintance with identifiable meat, she would have been vastly surprised. Doing her best to not throw up, Flynn continued, "Let that _really_ seep in. What are you getting? Because to me, it's part man-smell and the other part is _really_ _ **bad**_ man-smell. I don't know why, but overall it just smells like the colour brown. Your thoughts?"

Instead of answering, the girl let out a sharp gasp and spun out of Flynn's loose grip. She started gathering up her hair and skipping away as Flynn turned to see what had made her do so. Standing just behind them was a short squat man resembling a mythical dwarf. Rapunzel's long golden hair was running through his hands as the girl backed up.

"That's a lot of hair." The man said, turning his head up to look at Flynn.

"She's growing it out." Flynn replied as if that was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the length. She really didn't know why blondie kept it that long, only that she reacted badly to the suggestion of cutting it. Frankly Flynn didn't care what Rapunzel's reasons were; she only thought that so much hair was more trouble than it was worth. She suddenly bent down to take a closer look at the man's facial hair. Pointing at it, she asked, "Is that _blood_ in your mustache? Goldie, look at this. Look at all the _blood_ in his mustache! Good sir, that's a lot of _blood_!" Flynn made sure to put extra emphasis on the word blood each time she said it. Just for good measure.

But Rapunzel was not at all interested in having a look at a man's bloody mustache. She had backed all the way to the bar; stopping only because she had bumped into a huge peg-legged man seated there. The man actually growled at her and she jumped away, still swinging her frying pan around wildly.

 _Okay. That's enough_ , Flynn's conscience reprimanded. _Get the poor girl out of here before she has a heart attack_. Flynn could agree with that assessment and walked slowly over to Rapunzel. "Hey, you don't look so good, blondie. Maybe we should get you home, call it a day." She mused with false concern. Rapunzel swung the frying pan in her direction as she spoke and for a moment Flynn wasn't sure she was even seeing her. _Yup. Time to go_.

Flynn took the girl's arm and started to lead her out of the pub. "Probably better off." She continued. "This _is_ a five-star joint after all. And if you can't handle _this_ place, well, maybe you should be back in your tower."

Rapunzel didn't resist at all. She only continued to wave her pan at any and every thug that even looked at them. They were only feet from the door, and the fresh air beyond it, when it was suddenly slammed shut in their faces. Flynn jumped and Rapunzel let out a little shriek as she cowered against Flynn's back.

The cause for the door's sudden closing was another of the thugs, this one built along the lines of a brick shithouse. "Is this you?" he rumbled to Flynn as he pointed to the paper under the ham-like fist holding the door closed.

Flynn looked up at him and then at the paper. She had a sinking feeling what that paper was before she even looked at it. Hesitantly she reached out a hand and moved one of the brick shithouse's sausage-fingers. It was, indeed, one of her wanted posters. And just like the last, this one also had a ruined nose. In all honestly, it looked like a certain part of the male anatomy. "Ugh. Now they're just being mean." Flynn complained.

"Oh, it's him all right." Someone chuckled from the crowd. It was a thug known as Hookhand, mainly because he _did_ have a hook in place of his left hand. He was, for lack of a better term, the punitive leader of the regulars of the Snuggly Duckling. The man snapped his fingers. "Gerno, go find some guards. That reward's going to buy me a _new hook_." The man so appointed grinned maliciously and ran off to do so. Before Flynn could move, Hookhand grabbed the front of her jerkin, pulling her right up close to his face. He then brought his hook up under her chin, forcing her to lift her head.

Flynn swallowed hard and scrambled to think of how she was going to talk her way out of this. Now she really regretted bringing Rapunzel here. But then a hand clamped down on her shoulder and yanked her out of Hookhand's hold. Suddenly she was being held in a bear-hug against another thug's chest. "I could use the money." The thug cried, his voice echoing inside the stove-pipe he used as a helmet.

"What about me? I'm broke!" The brick shithouse shoved the man and pulled Flynn away. He hoisted her over his head as the other thugs all began to clamour for a piece of her reward. "Get back! Mine!"

Distantly, as the entire pub started arguing and fighting over her, Flynn could make out Rapunzel crying out, "Ruffians, stop!"

But Flynn didn't have any more time to spare for the girl. She was _far_ more concerned by the number of rough men grabbing her arms and legs. "We can work this out!" she cried, desperately trying to be heard above the din. The very last thing she wanted was for any of her clothing to get ripped by these thugs. _That_ would be disastrous as far as keeping her true sex a secret. _Yes, wouldn't_ _ **that**_ _be brilliant!_

"Hey!" Rapunzel shouted. "Leave him alone!" None of the thugs were listening to either of them though.

Flynn found herself caught in a headlock curtesy of the brick shithouse. She clawed at his arm to no avail. "Gentlemen, please!" she pleaded. Just then the brick shithouse's fist came down on her. Luckily for Flynn, it didn't quite reach her head as the arm around her neck was too thick, blocking it.

There were several clangs as Rapunzel attempted to use her frying pan. "Give me back my guide! Ruffians!"

Still the thugs ignored her. Flynn managed to slip out of the headlock, but before she could escape several of the thugs grabbed onto her wrists and ankles, lifting her off the ground. Flynn's eyes widened as she saw Hookhand in front of her, winding up for a punch. As the other thugs stretched her limbs out, Flynn couldn't help but exclaim in fright, her voice rising in pitch. A heavy hand clamped down on the top of her head just to make sure she couldn't duck away at the last moment.

Hookhand took a few practice swings, rearing back a little further each time. Flynn knew exactly what the man was aiming for. "Not the nose! Not the nose! Not the nose!" she begged, squeezing her eyes shut. If the thug managed to break her nose, her wanted posters would _never_ be right!

THWACK!

No punch came. Flynn blinked as the sound reverberated through the pub. That hadn't been what she had been expecting. Opening her eyes, she saw all the thugs staring at Hookhand in shock. Surprised, she also glanced at the man. Hookhand looked like he had been hit on the back of the head with a board. Or a tree limb, considering that one that had grown in through the roof was vibrating overhead.

"PUT HIM DOWN!" Rapunzel demanded fiercely. Flynn dared a glance at the girl, as shocked as the rest of the thugs. For a split second the girl even appeared taller. But only for that split second. Ominously, Hookhand's head whipped around to glare at the slender blonde. Rapunzel glared back as she let go of her hair and picked up her frying pan from one of the half-barrels the pub used as seating beside her. "Ugh, okay! I don't know where I am, and I need _him_ ," she thrust her pan in Flynn's direction, "to take me to see the lanterns because I've been _dreaming_ about them my entire _life_! Find your humanity! Haven't any of you _ever_ had a dream?"

Flynn wanted to break into hysterical laughter. _No, no, no. Blondie, you should have just run while you had the chance! These guys don't_ _ **have**_ _any 'humanity'! I'm pretty sure some aren't even_ _ **human**_ _!_ Deep down, though she was surprised that Rapunzel was trying to defend her. Especially considering what Flynn had done, bringing her to the Snuggly Duckling in the first place. Point of fact, Flynn never expected _anyone_ to _ever_ defend her.

Hookhand reached behind his bald head and pulled out a battle-axe nearly as big as he was. As the thug stomped over to Rapunzel, Flynn felt like she should do something (Anything!) to get him to leave the girl alone. But she was just too stunned to think of anything. She couldn't even get herself to move. Almost absently, the brick shithouse pulled her out of the grips of the other thugs and Flynn found herself hanging from a 'decorative' horn several feet off the floor by the back of her tunic.

Poor Rapunzel backed away from the approaching Hookhand until she was leaning backwards over a barrel-stool. The thug loomed over her threateningly for a moment. Then the weirdest thing, in a day of weird things, happened. Hookhand looked off into space and said, " _I_ had a dream once."

Without looking, the man hurled his axe across the room. It bit into the wall inches above the head of a skinny little bard the thugs had chained up in the corner near the fireplace, slicing through the feather in the runt's cap. Flynn was pretty sure the poor guy had pissed himself as he began to nervously place the accordion in his hands.

Flynn also couldn't help but feel very confused. She raised an eyebrow as she looked back at Hookhand.

" _ **I'm malicious, mean, and scary. My sneer could curdle dairy,**_ " the man began to sing, stepping back from Rapunzel to reveal an outline of a person on the floor with an axe impaled through its head. Rapunzel glanced around her frying pan at it and took a step back. Hookhand continued, " _ **And violence-wise, my hands are not the cleanest. But despite my evil looks and my temper and my hook!**_ " he belted out as he flung another thug out of the way and stepped up onto the little stage next to the runty bard. He sat down at the piano there and began to, of all things, play. " _ **I've always yearned to be a concert pianist!**_ "

Flynn's mouth dropped open and she wondered if maybe she actually had been knocked out during the struggle moments ago. This _had_ to be a dream. A nightmare.

Hookhand wasn't finished. " _ **Can't you see me on the stage preforming Mozart? Ticklin' the ivories 'til they gleam! Yup, I'd rather be called deadly for my killer show-tune medley!**_ " he shot a wink at Rapunzel who smiled. "Thank you! _**'Cause way down deep inside I've got a dream!**_ "

All the other thugs joined in with a chorus of " _ **He's got a dream, he's got a dream!**_ " Flynn snapped her mouth shut and glanced around at all the singing thugs, serious now questioning her sanity. Up on stage, Rapunzel appeared to have gotten over her fright and was enjoying the show. She sat down on a low barrel next to the piano.

" _ **See I ain't as cruel and vicious as I seem!**_ " Hookhand sang, doing a flourish on the piano. In his exuberance, he ended up smacking the thug he had tossed earlier, who had come up behind him and Rapunzel. Hookhand didn't even notice. " _ **Though I do like breaking femurs,**_ " and he did indeed look gleeful at just the thought, " _ **you can count me with the dreamers. Like everybody else I've got a dream!**_ "

Flynn prayed that this would be the end of the song. She was so weirded out by all this. Even the frog-lizard appeared weirded out as it eyed the pair of dancing rats next to it on the table. But it was not to be as the others loudly hummed along with the melody that Hookhand was playing.

Just then, the man Hookhand had hit sat up. " _ **I've got scars and lumps and bruises, plus something here that oozes,**_ " he held up his left arm to show Rapunzel, " _ **and let's not even mention my complexion! But despite my extra toes,**_ " And he showed off the foot with six toes instead of the normal five, " _ **and my goiter and my nose, I really want to make a love connection!**_ " With that he offered a small daisy to Rapunzel who looked touched by the gesture.

The man, Bignose if Flynn recalled correctly, jumped down from the stage and climbed into an upturned tub. " _ **Can't you see me with a special little lady? Rowing in a rowboat down the stream.**_ " He took up a spear and 'rowed' the tub, with him and the pub's old drunkard Shorty, across the floor. He hopped out and the next thing Flynn knew, Bignose was hoisting Shorty, who was mysteriously now dressed as a cherub, up with a rope. " _ **Though I'm one disgusting blighter, I'm a lover not a fighter. 'Cause way down deep inside I've got a dream!**_ " He sent Shorty swinging around the room. Flynn looked on as she dangled from her hook like a marionette, thoroughly unimpressed. Bignose repeated, " _ **I've got a dream.**_ "

" _ **He's got a dream.**_ " The rest echoed.

" _ **I've got a dream.**_ " Bignose again sang and the thugs repeated their part. " _ **And I know one day romance with reign supreme! Though my face leaves people screaming,**_ " he sang to Rapunzel. To prove his point, he stuck his face next to a skinny thug drinking from a mug. Ale sprayed across the table as the skinny thug recoiled from the ugly that was Bignose's face. The bigger thug put the smaller into a headlock so he couldn't escape as he continued, " _ **There's a child behind it dreaming. Like everybody else I've got a dream!**_ "

That wasn't all though. Oh, no. The rest of the pub joined into to reveal their dreams. _**Thor would like to quit and be a florist. Gunther does interior design. Ulf was into mime**_ and _ **Attila's cupcakes were sublime. Bruiser knits, Killer sewed,**_ and _ **Fang does little puppet shows**_. And then there was the brick shithouse, whose name was apparently _**Vladimir**_. According to Hookhand, he " _ **…collects ceramic unicorns!**_ "

All of a sudden, the thugs turned to Flynn, surrounding where she dangled.

"What about you?" Hookhand asked gruffly.

"I'm sorry, me?" she replied, really hoping that they weren't about to ask her what she thought they were.

But just her luck, that was exactly it. Bignose lifted her down off the wall and asked, "What's _your_ dream?"

Flynn was _not_ about to answer that. No way, no how. "No, no, no. Sorry, boys. I don't _sing_." She folded her arms and lifted her chin defiantly.

Seconds later she was hopping up onto the bar. _It's amazing what a girl will do when she has almost two dozen swords pointed at her head_ , she thought. " _ **I have dreams like you, no really.**_ " She sang, struggling to keep her voice at the right tone. She had never learned how to fake a man's singing voice. She had never needed to learn before now. " _ **Just much less touchy-feely. They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny!**_ " She slipped up next to Vladimir and 'borrowed' one of his unicorns before he could stop her. " _ **On an island that I own, tanned and rested and alone!**_ " Flynn stuck the little statue into a pot of dirt that the pub apparently had, illustrating her dream. Sudden she was yanked away and found herself hanging between several thugs. She grinned a little nervously and finished, " _ **Surrounded by enormous piles of money!**_ "

Thankfully that was enough to keep the thugs happy. They tossed her to the side with a cheer as Rapunzel climbed up on the bar. She held her hand over her head to get everyone's attention. " _ **I've got a dream!**_ "

" _ **She's got a dream!**_ " the thugs sang.

" _ **I've got a dream!**_ " Rapunzel sang as she grinned at her audience.

" _ **She's got a dream!**_ " was repeated by the thugs.

" _ **I just want to see the floating lanterns gleam! And with every passing hour, I'm so glad I left my tower! Like all you lovely folks, I've got a dream!**_ " Rapunzel ended to more cheers from the thugs.

Flynn leaned against one of the many barrels to catch her breath as the rest of the bar sang, " _ **She's got a dream. He's got a dream. We've got a dream. They've got a dream.**_ " Catching motion out of the corner of her eye, she realized she was next to the pub's goat who was contently chewing its cud. Before she could react, a huge hand grabbed the front of her jerkin. " _ **So our differences ain't really that extreme. We're one big team!**_ "

The hand had belonged to the peg-legged thug. The man set Flynn down and pointed across the room. There, Flynn saw the brick shithouse Vladimir. He stomped down on one of the floor-boards, which caused Flynn to be thrown into the air as the board under her boots sprang upward. Flynn ended up landing in a handstand on the wide curling horns of Vladimir's helmet. The brick shithouse gave a toss of his head and Flynn flipped over to land on a barrel which began to roll across the room under her feet.

" _ **Call us brutal, sick, sadistic, and grotesquely optimistic. 'Cause way down deep inside we've got a dream!**_ " As Flynn's barrel rolled across the room, several thugs started tossing lit torches back and forth to each other along her path. Flynn could only hope that these guys were sober enough to _not_ set her on fire. That didn't look too likely as one of the last thugs in the line, one of the skinny ones, sprayed his drink through his torch, causing a fireball.

The song devolved into the thugs repeating " _ **I've got a dream,**_ " several more times as they exuberantly… well the only word Flynn could come up with was frolicked about the pub, and that really wasn't an appropriate word for it. Finally Rapunzel skipped along with Hookhand and Bignose on either side of her. The two thugs lifted her onto a table as everyone sang, " _ **Yes, way down deep inside I've got a dream! Yeah!**_ "

Right on cue, the door burst open. "I've found the Guards!" an extremely pleased Gerno cried. This announcement caused the entire pub to turn to stare at the man. Obviously during the song and dance, all the thugs had forgotten that they had indeed sent someone to bring the Guards for Flynn Rider.

Flynn instantly lunged forward and grabbed Rapunzel off the table. She didn't even think about it really. She just knew she and Rapunzel had to get out of sight. Putting a finger over her lips, she hustled the girl to a hiding place behind and under the bar. Just in time, as she heard a very familiar voice.

"Where's Rider? Where is he?" The Captain of the Guard demanded. "I know he's in here somewhere. Find him. Turn the place upside _down_ if you have to!"

Flynn flinched as the Captain slammed his fist down on the bar over her head. She knew there wasn't much time before Rapunzel and she were found. It was only a matter of time before the thugs fingered their hiding place. _Maybe we can sneak out the front door while everyone is distracted_ , she thought. Carefully she rose up to peer over the counter-top at the door. That was the moment that two hulking figures darkened the doorway. It was the Stabbington Brothers, chained and bound and looking none too happy about it.

At the sight of them, Flynn ducked back under the bar as fast as she could, silently screaming a string of curses that would make even the regulars here blush. _I'm dead. I'm dead! I am dead, dead, dead! The Guards won't have to_ _ **hang**_ _me because those two will kill me first!_ Panic rose inside Flynn. She was stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place with no escape.

Just as the panic reached a fevered pitch, something hard and metallic bumped into her shoulder. Flynn stifled a yelp and glanced up to meet Hookhand's eyes. The bald thug caught her gaze for a second and then glanced pointedly at spot on the floor painted with the symbol of the pub. As the other thugs made a human wall in front of the bar, Hookhand pulled down on one of the beer-taps, the one with a carving of a duckling on it. The piece of floor dropped down to reveal an escape tunnel.

Flynn blinked in surprise. It looked like the thugs were, instead of cashing in on her reward, going to help the two of them escape the Guards. She and Rapunzel crawled over to the tunnel as Hookhand crouched down behind the bar with them.

"Go." The man whispered softly. "Live your dream."

Flynn grinned and answered, "I will."

Apparently Hookhand thought that was the wrong answer. He sneered a little as he said, "Your dream stinks. I was talking to her." Flynn rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything as she crawled down into the tunnel. Behind her, she heard Rapunzel thank the thug before following her.


	8. A Narrow Escape

**AN:** Wow. The last chapter really did end up longer than I expected.

 _Guest Reviewer_ : I suppose you could say that. I would point out that I've seen similar fics that do the same sort of thing (retelling the entire movie). I have tried to add my own slant with the thoughts of Flynn and Rapunzel as well as the extra little bits added.

* * *

As Flynn crawled down into the tunnel, Rapunzel lightly pecked the hook-handed man on the cheek. "Thanks for everything." She whispered and scooted down the hatch after Flynn. Quickly she pulled her hair down as well and the man closed the hatch, leaving the pair of them standing in darkness.

Only for a moment though. There was the sound of a spark as Flynn lit the candle inside of a lantern he must have found. He looked at her and jerked his head to indicate down the tunnel. "Come on, while those guys are still willing to be our distraction." She nodded and followed him.

The light of their small lantern wasn't much, just enough to light the area immediately around them. The rest of the tunnel lay in shadows. It made the tunnel seem a little creepy, especially when they came upon such things as a dusty skeleton pinned to one of the walls by a sword. She hardly noticed though, caught up in her own thoughts.

Rapunzel couldn't believe it. She had just survived an entire band of ruffians and thugs, the sort of people that Mother had always warned her about, and they weren't anything like what her mother had said. Yeah, they may have been a little rough around the edges, but they were sweet. Kind even. They could sing. They had such wonderful dreams.

She had even gotten them to let Flynn go! It was amazing! She had never felt so exhilarated in her life. She felt powerful, like she could now take on the whole world!

"Well, I've got to say," Flynn said suddenly after they had been walking through the tunnel for a while, "I didn't know you had that in you back there. That was… pretty… impressive."

Flynn's tone was almost like he was trying to _not_ be as impressed as he was. Rapunzel didn't care though. "I know!" she cried excitedly. When Flynn looked back at her, Rapunzel gave an embarrassed cough. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to show she was so thrilled about her achievement. She tried to appear calm and repeated nonchalantly, "I know."

The corners of Flynn's lips curled up in an amused smile. He turned around again. Rapunzel examined his back for a moment. She suddenly realized that she didn't know very much about this man she had convinced to guide her to the lanterns. Well, she knew his dream was to live alone on an island surrounded by lots of money, which seemed like a rather lonely dream to her. She was used to being alone with no one by Pascal and her mother for company. She couldn't imagine why he, who had a whole world of people to live in, would want solitude. Resolutely she decided she was going to find out. After all they were sort of friends now, weren't they?

"So… Flynn?" she asked as she tucked a bit of her hair behind one ear. "Where're you from?"

The man's reaction was not what she hoped. "Whoa, whoa!" he said, skipping a step and holding up his free hand, "Sorry, blondie, I don't do back-story. However, I am becoming _very_ interested in yours." He looked over his shoulder at her. "Now, I – I know I'm not supposed to mention _the hair_ …"

"Nope." Rapunzel replied. She was both pleased and guilty that he had realized that just from her snapping at him over it. She really didn't want to have to explain about why her hair was so special beyond its unusual length.

"…Or the _mother_ …" Flynn continued, looking back at her pointedly.

 _Yes, I made_ _ **that**_ _abundantly clear back at my tower._ Rapunzel thought amused. "Uh-uh."

Flynn's brows knit together as he said, "Frankly, I'm too scared to ask about the frog."

On her shoulder Pascal bristled in offense. Rapunzel put up a hand to calm her friend. "Chameleon." She corrected.

"Nuance." Flynn replied with a flippant tone. It was clear to her that he was teasing. Quickly the man continued. "Here's my question, though, if you wanted to see the lanterns so badly, why _haven't_ you gone before?" He stopped walking as he asked that, turning to look at her again.

That brought Rapunzel up short. She had no idea how to answer that. Not without having to explain _everything_. "Uh…" she chuckled nervously, glancing at Pascal for an idea of how she should answer, "Well…"

Just then something small and hard bounced off the top of her head. She looked down to see that it was a small rock that had fallen from the tunnel ceiling. _That's odd_ , she thought. Suddenly she could feel the tunnel floor rumble through the soles of her bare feet. Worried that the tunnel might be about to cave in, Rapunzel glanced around nervously. "Uh, Flynn?"

As she looked behind her she could see the faint glow of light in the tunnel behind them. The light got brighter and brighter. Then from around a bend in the tunnel a group of men appeared, carrying torches and running straight for them. Rapunzel just knew that they were in trouble.

"Flynn?" she cried, her voice rising in fear.

"Rider!" one of the men shouted at them.

For a second Rapunzel couldn't move, she was paralyzed by fright. Then Flynn pulled on her arm. "Run. Run!" he ordered. Rapunzel bent down and scooped up as much of her hair as she could. Flynn pushed her ahead of him as they both took off down the tunnel.

Flynn's boots made a thudding sound while Rapunzel's bare feet made no noise at all as they pelted down the tunnel. The light of their lantern jounced crazily off the walls. Behind them, the sounds of the pursuit got louder, echoing in the tunnel. After what seemed like forever, she and Flynn burst out into daylight again.

They had come out of the tunnel into a steep canyon very much different from the one Rapunzel's tower was in. Instead of gray granite, the stone here was light sandstone. They were on a wide ledge high above the canyon floor. Behind them on one side was a dilapidated wooden building with a large wheel with water running over it and into a trough. On the other side was a huge wooden wall just as dilapidated as the building being held up by a couple of beams and prayer.

There was a clatter as Flynn tossed the lantern aside. Rapunzel looked around frantically for an escape. Flynn must have spotted it first because she felt his hand on her back as he urged her over to the edge. She nearly over balanced as they reached the place where two short posts were hammered into the rock. Flynn grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling as they looked down the rickety rope ladder to the ground far below. This ladder was different from the one Mother used to use at the tower, having wooden slats instead of rope rungs.

Rapunzel was about to ask Flynn if the tunnel she saw just across the canyon from the ladder was the way out when a loud banging interrupted her. She looked at another tunnel that was boarded up just as there was a loud crash and two more men burst through. These two were nothing like the nice thugs back at the Snuggly Duckling. As they drew their swords and glared up at them, Rapunzel had a sinking feeling that they were the kind of ruffians that she had always been warned of.

"Who's that?" she asked Flynn nervously.

"They don't like me." Flynn replied, his voice unusually high as he pointed down at them.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind them and Rapunzel leaned forward to peer around Flynn's side. The men that had been chasing them had reached the end of the tunnel as well. These must be the Guards that had been sent for. There were four of them dressed in nearly identical clothing of red shirts, grey pants, black boots, and shiny metal helmets. "Who's that?!" she asked again, her own voice rising in panic.

"They don't like me either." Flynn answered as he turned as well. Just as he said that, a large white creature that Rapunzel recognized as a horse from a story book she once had appeared behind the group of four men. It neighed angrily at them.

Panic threatened to overwhelm her as Rapunzel cried, "Who's that!?"

Flynn grabbed her shoulders to make her stand straight. "Let's just assume for the moment, _everyone_ in here _doesn't_ like me!" he told her. Rapunzel had to wonder if he included her in that everyone. She honestly couldn't say if she liked him much at the moment considering the danger they were in that he was the apparent cause of.

Still they needed to get away and Rapunzel had an idea. She threw down the bundle of hair in her arms. "Here." She said, jamming her frying pan into Flynn's gut. The man grunted as he grabbed onto it. Rapunzel picked up the end of her hair and slung it towards a protruding section of wood overhead. It wrapped as neatly around it as it did with the rafters of the tower. She gave a firm pull to make sure it was secured and then jumped from the ledge. She swung through the air just as she had so many times in her life and landed neatly on another ledge a short distance from the first.

She looked back to see Flynn staring at her in surprise, clutching her frying pan in both hands. _I hope he doesn't think I just left him behind_ , she thought. Before she could reassure him that wasn't the case, there was a nasty chuckle for one of the men behind Flynn. Rapunzel's guide turned to face them. The leader of the group tossed his torch aside and drew his sword. "I've waited a long time for this." He said sounding very pleased about the situation.

Rapunzel's heart leapt into her throat. That sword looked very sharp and pointy and she had left Flynn with only her frying pan to defend himself. Quickly she gathered up her hair again, intending to use it to pull her new friend to safety. Before she could do anything though, the lead Guard lunged forward, slashing his sword at Flynn's head.

To her relief, Flynn ducked under the sword and came up swinging the frying pan. It clanged across the Guard's face, sending him spinning around before toppling to the ground. The second Guard attacked. Flynn blocked the cut to his side and brought the pan down on the man's head, knocking him out as well. The third and fourth Guards ended up suffering the same fates as the first two. Soon Flynn was left standing in a circle of unconscious Guards, just staring at the frying pan in his hands in wonder.

"Oh, mama!" he cried, suddenly grinning gleefully as he admired the frying pan he held in his right hand. "I have _got_ to get me one of these!" As much as Rapunzel didn't want to interrupt Flynn's realization of how versatile a frying pan really was, she could see he was still in danger. Before she could say anything, there was the hiss of a sword being picked up. Flynn, perhaps a little too full of his success, flipped the frying pan to his left hand and brandished it with a triumphant "Ha!"

Only to find himself face to face with the horse that was now holding one of the Guards' swords in his teeth. Flynn stared at it for a moment in confusion as the horse neighed in challenge. With surprising ability, the horse began to attack. Flynn scrambled to dodge the creature's weapon, stumbling over the prone forms of the Guards. Frantically he fought back against the horse, the frying pan clanking and clanging with each blow and block.

Honestly, Rapunzel thought it was the strangest thing she had ever witnessed.

And apparently Flynn felt the same. "You should know," he shouted across to her, "That this is the _strangest_ thing I've _ever_ done!"

Rapunzel knew she needed to help Flynn in some way. And the only idea she had was to use her hair as a means for him to escape. She freed her hair from the wood above her and wrapped the nearer portion around a chunk of rock sticking out from her ledge. She gathered up the long end, but with the way Flynn and the horse were shuffling back and forth on the ledge in their battle, she didn't have a clear target.

Just then, due to a lucky swipe of the sword by the horse, the frying pan was knocked out of Flynn's hand. It tumbled through the air to the floor of the canyon, landing with a loud clatter. Rapunzel, Flynn and the horse all watched it as it fell. There was a moment of silence and then Flynn glanced hopefully at the horse.

"How about two out of three?" he asked. The horse was not having any of _that_ suggestion. In response it aimed the point of the sword right at Flynn's face. He, in turn, immediately flung up his hands defensively.

Rapunzel recognized the gesture as Flynn had done it many times when she had threatened him with the frying pan. _No wonder he's used to doing it_ , she thought. Still, now that the two weren't lurching about and with the man's hand up like that, Rapunzel's aim had a better chance of succeeding. "Flynn!" she shouted as she threw her hair.

The end of her hair wrapped neatly around Flynn's right hand, surprising both man and horse. Rapunzel grunted as she pulled hard, taking up any slack. Flynn grinned and gave the horse a mocking salute as he stepped off his ledge. The sword dropped from the animal's mouth as the horse stared in shock.

As she struggled to brace against Flynn's weight, Rapunzel happened to glance in the direction he was headed. She saw the two red-headed ruffians charging forward with their swords raised. She could only guess that they intended to go at Flynn as he came into reach. "Flynn, look out!" she shouted in warning.

Flynn scrabbled at his hold on the end of her hair, also seeing the danger he was headed in. "Whoa! Whoa!" he cried out. Rapunzel gave a mighty heave on her hair, pulling as hard as she could and just hoping that it would be enough. It was. Just as he reached the two men, he was lifted up over their heads and out of their reach.

"Ha!" he shouted down at them, "You should see your faces, because you look…" Flynn was suddenly cut off as he slammed into the edge of the wooden trough. After a moment he wheezed, "…ridiculous." Rapunzel winched in sympathy. That hard an impact would certainly leave a massive bruise, at the very least, across Flynn's middle. She almost called out to ask if he was okay, but a thudding sound from behind distracted her. She turned to see the horse kicking a beam with both hind legs and the Guards were starting to come to from their un-planned naps. After about four kicks, the beam came free from the giant wooden wall, causing water to leak through in a narrow spray.

The beam fell across the wide gap between the ledges from the one they had exited the tunnel at to the one Rapunzel now stood. The horse immediately started across his improvised bridge, determination in his eyes as he glared at her. Clearly, if the horse couldn't catch Flynn, he was going to do his best to catch her instead.

"Come on, blondie! Jump!" shouted Flynn. Rapunzel faced him to see he was standing on top of the trough, the end of her hair in his hands. Just as he had trusted her to get him to safety, now it was her turn to put her faith in him.

Rapunzel didn't hesitate. She ran for the edge, the horse closing in right behind her. At the edge she gave a tremendous leap into empty air. For the longest moment, she just seemed to hang motionless, feeling the hot breath of the horse on her back. But then gravity took over. As Rapunzel fell, she heard a click of teeth as the horse reached to grab the loop of her hair that trailed behind her.

Narrowing her eyes, Rapunzel focused in on a large puddle under the trough. She let go of her hair just as she reached it, the speed of her momentum skating her right through the puddle. Water sprayed to either side of her feet. Once she made it to the other side of the puddle, Rapunzel came to a stop. She looked back over her shoulder to see the two men that didn't like Flynn running right for her. Rapunzel grabbed her hair and whipped it out of Flynn's hands before taking to her heels and running.

Overhead, she could hear the sounds of creaking wood and the thumps Flynn's boots made on the wood as he moved along the trough. Rapunzel bundled up her hair again to make running easier. As she did so, she looked up to see the trough was collapsing under Flynn's feet. Just as the last section fell away, Flynn took a flying leap, rolled as he hit the ground and came up running. He scooped up the trailing end of her hair while Rapunzel didn't break her stride. Behind him, the two red-headed men vaulted the fallen trough to continue the chase.

Even further behind them was an ominous creaking. Another quick glance back proved that the huge wooden was also collapsing, releasing an equally huge wave of water. That beam the horse had kicked loose must have been more integral to the wall's support than it appeared. The water washed over the top of the wall, engulfing the horse, Guards, and the other two men. Rapunzel and Flynn ran for their lives, eyes focused on an open tunnel on the far side of the canyon.

Soon, the sound of rushing water and breaking wood was joined by the grinding of rock. Rapunzel didn't have to look around to know that one of the few pillars that she and Flynn had run by had been pushed off balance from the weight of the water. Its shadow fell over them, like a looming giant.

 _We're not going to make it. We're not going to make it! We're not going to make it!_ Rapunzel thought desperately as for the longest time, the tunnel didn't seem to get any closer. But then they were there. There was a hard shove at the small of her back, making Rapunzel yelp as she stumbled into the tunnel. She turned just in time to see Flynn snatch up her frying pan as it floated in behind them. Seconds after he did so, a wall of rock slammed down over the entrance of the tunnel. This caused the tunnel to plunge into darkness and sealed it off. Just moments after that, water began to pour in.

Knowing that they were still in grave danger, Rapunzel grabbed her frying pan from Flynn's hand and they both rushed to higher ground further into the tunnel. They had to get far enough to escape the water filling the entrance to the tunnel.

But to Rapunzel's horror, she and Flynn soon were found that the tunnel had caved in at some point, blocking off their escape. They were left in a tiny pocket of air surrounded by rock on all sides.

And still the water poured in.

Soon it was lapping at their feet. Flynn looked at her for a second and then took a deep breath, diving into the water. Rapunzel looked around in panic, reaching up as high as she could reach in the hope of finding a way to escape, any way to escape. Pascal clung to the wall next to her.

With a splash, Flynn surfaced panting for breath. For a second, Rapunzel hoped that he had found an escape, but he only took another deep breath and dove under again. Rapunzel began to chip away at the rocks, using the handle of her pan to try prying the stones apart. Flynn surfaced for the second time as the water began to drag at the hem of her dress. He gasped for breath and then threw his shoulder against one wall. When that resulted in nothing, he started prying at the rocks overhead with his bare hands.

Suddenly his left hand slipped. Flynn hissed in pain, clutching at it. Rapunzel's eyes widened. She thought she saw a ragged gash across his palm. Before she could ask if he was okay, Flynn dove once more. Desperate, Rapunzel banged around with the frying pan, grunting with effort. Clangs echoed off the walls and roof as the little air pocket got smaller and smaller. Eventually Rapunzel fell back against the back wall just as Flynn came up for the third time, gasping.

He shook his head and said, "It's no use. I can't see anything."

As he scrubbed at his face with the heels of his hands, Rapunzel felt something. She didn't know if it was a determination to survive or sheer blind panic, but she took several shallow gasps for air and dove under the water herself. A part of her was screaming that she was crazy since she had no idea of how to swim, but she ignored it. She was sure that maybe, just maybe, she would find a way out.

Someone else was much more realistic.

A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and dragged Rapunzel to the surface again. She struggled against Flynn's hold until he tightened his grip slightly. "Hey, there's no point." He said firmly, brushing Rapunzel's hair back from her face with surprising gentleness. "It's pitch-black down there."

Rapunzel blinked several times and collapsed back to the wall again as his words sank in. It _was_ useless. There was _no_ escape for them. Despair filled Rapunzel then and suddenly Mother's words came back to her.

 _One way or another, something will go wrong, I swear!_

And something had. "This is all my fault." she whispered dejectedly, more to herself than to Flynn next to her. It was true. It was all true. Rapunzel had disobeyed Mother. She had left the tower against Mother's wishes and now she was trapped in a cave filling with water. She was going to die here, drowned, and Mother will never know what had happened to her. "She was right. I _never_ should have done this." And that wasn't even the worst of it, oh no.

Because of her, Flynn was going to die too.

Rapunzel sniffed as tears welled up. In a chocked voice, she said, "I'm so… I'm so _sorry_ , Flynn."

There was a moment of silence and then soft sigh. "Eugena." A female voice said.

"What?" Rapunzel was drawn out of her tears to look at the person next to her. She could have sworn that Flynn had just spoken in a girl's voice.

"I'm actually a girl." Flynn said still in that female voice, with a sad and sheepish half-smile. "And my _real_ name is Eugena Fitzherbert." There was a faint splash as Flynn shrugged and looked away. "Someone might as well know."

Rapunzel couldn't help but smile and give a little chuckle, despite the very serious situation they were still trapped in. The idea that her companion was actually a girl like herself didn't shock Rapunzel. Quite the opposite in fact. She felt touched that Flynn, no Eugena, had revealed what had to be two of her biggest secrets. Was it because Eugena knew they were about to die and wanted the truth to be known, like she said? Or was it because Rapunzel had apologized to _Flynn_ instead? Rapunzel wasn't sure which it was, but she just knew that a secret revealed deserves another.

She sniffed again, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing."

That was obviously _not_ the answer that Eugena had been expecting. "What?" she asked startled.

But Rapunzel didn't hear her. She was suddenly aware of what she had just said as if it was completely new information. Eugena had said that it was too dark to see any way to escape under the water. _That it's pitch-black down there. But my hair_ _ **glows**_ _when I sing_ , Rapunzel thought. Tugging at a handful of her hair, she slowly repeated herself. "I have… _magic_ hair… that _glows_ when I _sing_!"

Just then the rising water reached their chins. There wasn't much time left. Rapunzel had to act quickly. Quickly she sang, " _ **Flower gleam and glow. Let your power shine!**_ " Before she could finish, time ran out. At the last possible moment, she and Eugena took their last deep breaths. Water filled the cave, stealing the last bit of the air pocket. Rapunzel didn't know if those two lines were enough to activate the magic in her hair. Squeezing her eyes shut against the water, all she could do was pray that it was. Just in case, though, she mentally recited the rest of the song.

It must have worked though. After a moment of complete darkness, light began to shine as bright as the sun. There was a muffled exclamation for her companion and when Rapunzel dared to crack her eyes open, she found Eugena staring at her with eyes wide with shock and a hand clamped over her mouth. There wasn't any way for Rapunzel to reassure the other girl however. A slight tug at her hair drew Rapunzel's attention downward and something must have caused Eugena to do the same. Near the floor of the cave, part of the now glowing length of Rapunzel's hair was being drawn towards a pile of rocks. That could only mean one thing. Water was able to get through. And if water could get through, there was a chance the two of them and Pascal could too.

Rapunzel and Eugena exchanged looks briefly and together they swam down to the pile, Pascal clinging to Rapunzel's hair. They started dragging the rocks out of the pile, Rapunzel using the frying pan and Eugena with her bare hands. The light began to fade from Rapunzel's hair as they worked faster and faster. The air in Rapunzel's lungs began to burn. She wouldn't be able to hold her breath much longer. Then, just after the water went black once more, she sensed (rather than saw) Eugena lunge forward.

There was a faint pop and the current of escaping water quickened. The other girl must have punched through to the other side. The need for air was growing desperate when finally the pile of rocks vanished in a tumble. The rush of escaping water pulled them along with it. Rapunzel felt one of Eugena's hands lock onto her wrist and she returned the hold so that the two of them wouldn't get separated. They were swept along, out into open air before being dumped into a river on the other end of the tunnel.

It took a few moments before Rapunzel and Eugena could haul themselves out onto the bank a little ways downstream. There they collapsed on the verge, coughed up inhaled water and gasping for breath. Rapunzel dumped the frying pan (which she hadn't let go of and which Pascal was hanging onto) next to her. She pushed her hair out of the way and managed a relieved smile at her best friend. "We made it." She breathed.

On her left, Eugena's head suddenly shot up. With wide eyes, the other girl exclaimed, "Her hair glows!"


	9. The Truth Comes Out

AN: Whew. That was the second chapter to end up longer than I thought it would too. As for this one, all I want to say is that the opinions brought up at the end are in no way my own. I personally have no problems with same-sex pairings, but for the time-period I picture this taking place in, such things would be very much taboo.

* * *

As Flynn struggled to regain her breath on the bank of the river, she could almost wish the last several minutes hadn't happened. Because that was the only way in which the world would make sense once more. That way, she would still just be Flynn Rider. She wouldn't have confessed her real identity. And most importantly she wouldn't know that Rapunzel had _hair_ that _glowed_.

She barely noticed as the blonde girl beside her grinned down at her pet and said, "We're alive." Jubilant, Rapunzel climbed out of the river (taking her frying pan with her) with a cry of, "I'm alive!"

"I didn't see that coming." Eugena muttered as she ran a hand over her wet ponytail and shook her head. She could not get over the fact that Rapunzel's hair _glowed_! Worriedly she thought, _Am I dreaming? Could I have been knocked out when I hit that trough?_ But no, she could clearly remember everything after that, from the dam bursting to being trapped in that cave. Besides the throbbing cut on her hand proved that this was no dream.

"Eugena?" Rapunzel called.

Flynn ignored her. Instead she looked down at the frog-chameleon thing. "The hair _actually_ glows." She told it. Pascal nodded in agreement as if this was a perfectly reasonable thing for hair to do. As if he had been witness to it hundreds of times before. _And for all I know, he has!_

"Eugena!" Rapunzel repeated more firmly. Again Eugena didn't respond. Instead she focused solely on Pascal.

" _WHY DOES HER HAIR GLOW!?_ " she demanded sharply of him. Her voice was rising into hysterics.

"EUGENA!" Rapunzel shouted finally.

Suddenly remembering that that was indeed her name, Flynn looked up wildly at Rapunzel. "WHAT?!" she cried back, breathing hard and clutching her injured hand.

The blonde girl was standing a few feet away, dragging the massive length of her hair out of the water. She gave a slightly amused sigh and said, "It doesn't _just_ glow."

As the girl looked at her, holding her hair like that, Eugena wasn't at all reassured by hearing that tidbit of information. She glanced down at the chameleon-frog worriedly and, to her dismay, Pascal merely grinned smugly back. _No, no, no! You do not look at me like that you stupid frog!_ Flynn thought. _You should be as freaked out as I feel, not looking like that! Don't make me seem like the crazy one here!_ She looked back at Rapunzel. In a strained voice, like she was about to start crying, Eugena asked "Why is he smiling at me?"

Rapunzel gave the chameleon a reproving look which he returned with an unrepentant one. She shook her head and looked back at Flynn. "I can explain everything, but first," she walked towards Eugena, offering her hand, "maybe you should get out of the river."

"Oh. Right, right." Flynn said absently, ignoring the help. Her mind was still running circles around the fact that Rapunzel's hair glowed and it apparently could do more than that, yet she couldn't think of what else that was. It could be literally _anything_! Frantic to focus on something simple, something that made sense, she looked down at the cut on her left hand. It hurt like Hell and there was still a little bit of blood oozing from it. She grimaced a little as she squeezed the edges of the cut together.

Rapunzel must have noticed her injury. "Oh my goodness! Your hand!" She gave an eager smile and reached forward to take it. "Don't worry. I can fix that."

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Eugena shouted, jerking away. She held her hands up just to get them out of the other girl's reach. She didn't even realize that she had taken a step back. For a moment there was no other sound on the riverbank except for the gurgle of water.

And then, Flynn wanted to kick herself.

Rapunzel didn't say anything, just looked at her like a scared sparrow. Her lower lip trembled and her expressive green eyes wavered with tears. _Oh bloody Hell!_ Eugena thought. _Good going, idiot. She was just going to help and you yelled at her. Get a hold of yourself and suck it up._ That reaction of blondie's really bothered Flynn though. It spoke of her having bad experiences with someone shouting at her. And that someone could only be the mother, she-who-must-not-be-spoken-of.

Eugena took a deep breath, held it for a second, and slowly let it out again. "Sorry, sorry." She apologized. "I shouldn't have yelled. It's just…" she shrugged and waved her good hand around as she explained, "you don't get to meet someone with magic glowing hair every day! I'm still just trying to process it all."

As she spoke, Rapunzel brightened again. Her quickly recovery made Flynn feel even more of a heel. "I guess it is pretty surprising when you don't expect it."

"You probably have no idea." Eugena replied. At that moment she noticed that the sunlight had gone from bright golden to a ruddy orange. She was a little startled that it was already sunset. Flynn took another deep breath. "Look, it's getting late. We should make camp before it gets too dark. Come on." She helped pull the rest of Rapunzel's hair out of the river before leading the way into the forest again.

A short time later, just as the last of the light faded away from the sky, they set up camp. Rapunzel spread out her hair so that it could dry and Eugena set about getting a fire going. It took several tries and much cursing, but the small pile of wood finally caught flame. Flynn sat back on her heels with a pleased look. "There. That should do." She stretched and took a seat on the same tree root Rapunzel was perched on.

The blonde girl held out a hand to her. "Good. Now give me your hand."

Eugena gave her a wary look, she had been able to forget about the fact Rapunzel had other tricks up her… hair. She really didn't want to be reminded about that fact, though a part of her was starting to want to know. Cautiously she held out her right hand.

"Your _other_ hand." Rapunzel favoured her with a look equally mixed of amusement and annoyance. Flynn actually felt her cheeks heat up.

"Oh… Yeah… Right… Sorry…" she said sheepishly and held out her left. Rapunzel took it and picked up the end of her hair. With a look of intense concentration, she began to wrap it around Eugena's palm. She focused tightly on her self-appointed task. Silence stretched between them as the fire crackled and popped. Finally Flynn couldn't take it anymore. "So… You're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand." A sharp sting shot up her arm and Eugena hissed.

Rapunzel winched and looked up from her task. "Sorry." She said and let out a breath before giving her a worried look. "Just don't… Don't _freak out_."

Flynn looked down at her hand and then back at Rapunzel. That sort of warning, given like _that_ , wasn't reassuring in the least. Still she was pretty sure that the blonde wasn't going to hurt her hand further.

Mostly.

With a sigh and taking Eugena's silence as agreement, Rapunzel closed her eyes and did the strangest thing Flynn had ever seen. She began to sing. " _ **Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine**_ _._ "

Seeing that glow as Rapunzel's hair lit up for the second time that day left Eugena just as unnerved as the first. Entirely unbidden, Flynn's eyes followed the light as it travelled down the length of the hair. A part of her wanted to yank free and go running screaming into the forest, but a larger part couldn't even move. She lifted her free hand from the tree root as a loop of hair beside her lit up. Turning her head around to keep watch on the moving light, Eugena happened to see Pascal.

The chameleon lifted his forepaws, pointing at one of them.

Flynn looked down at her hand just as the glow reached the hair wrapped around her palm. And to her amazement, she could actually _feel_ it. It had a presence against her skin and it was like nothing she had ever felt before. Warm like a summer sun, cool like a forest stream, soothing like a healing balm. A strange tingling slowly crept up her arm, originating from the cut on her palm. _No way,_ she thought. Mouth dropping open Eugena looked up from her hand to Rapunzel.

The girl was still caught up in her song. " _ **Heal what has been hurt. Change the fates' design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine.**_ "

Flynn looked back at Pascal, not that she really expected he would be able to give her an explanation. It was more that she hoped he could confirm that what she was seeing, sensing was actually true. And just as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, Pascal nodded knowingly back at her.

" _ **What once was mine**_." The song over and the light faded once more, Rapunzel opened her eyes and looked up at Eugena's face nervously. It was like she fully expected Eugena to run off screaming into the forest.

Suspecting what she might find, Flynn pulled Rapunzel's hair away from her hand. A whimper escaped as she took in what she saw. _It's gone. The cut is gone! The_ _ **cut**_ _is_ _ **GONE**_ _!_ She thought hysterically as she turned her palm to show Rapunzel. Without realizing it, Eugena started breathing heavily, a scream building up in her throat.

" _Please_ don't freak out!" Rapunzel cried desperately, holding up both hands just as Eugena took a deep breath.

Flynn froze, mouth half open. _Okay, note to self, trying to swallow a scream doesn't work_ , she thought irreverently as a wheezing strained gasp escaped. Rapunzel was just as frozen as she was, only looking like she was just praying she could keep the other girl from screaming blue murder just by force of will. They remained like that for nearly a full minute. Finally Eugena broke the impasse.

"I-I-I-I'm not freaking out. Are you freaking out?" she blurted in a rush. She needed to find something to do with her hands. As long as she could actually see the now healed cut, she was just going end up further into screaming hysterics, which was something they both didn't need at the moment. "No! I'm just really interested in your _hair_ and the magical qualities that it possesses. How long has it been doing that exactly?!" At first she tried to just nonchalantly put her chin in her hand, but she suddenly remembered _that_ was the hand that had been healed by Rapunzel's hair. Getting more than a little freaked out; she folded her arms, tucking her hands into her armpits. Eugena tried to cover her panic with a strained grin that tasted far too much of hysterics for her liking.

Rapunzel must have found this all a little amusing for she gave a little giggle. "Umm… Forever, I guess." Her expression changed to a very serious one as she continued. "Mother says when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves."

Knowing full well the extent of human greed, a sinking feeling formed in the pit of Flynn's stomach. It wasn't hard to imagine why people would want such a power. And the extent they would go to just to obtain it. And she could suddenly understand why Rapunzel, and by implication her mother, was so protective of it. And the blonde's next words just cemented that.

"But once it's cut," she reached behind her head and pulled back her long blonde hair to reveal a short brown lock just behind her ear, "it turns brown and loses its power. A gift like that, it has to be protected. That's why Mother never let me…" she ran her fingers through her hair as she looked back at Eugena. Rapunzel trailed off for a moment and then continued. "That's why I never left and…"

She looked away and sighed, grimacing.

"You never left that tower." Eugena finished for her slowly. That grimace disturbed Eugena more than she was willing to admit. It spoke to her of pain and loneliness. It also spoke of the fact that Rapunzel knew the danger she putting herself in just coming out of her tower. Yet she still did it. Rapunzel just looked back at her. Finally Flynn asked, "And you're still going to go back?" Somehow, now having experienced the wide world for the first time in her life, Eugena just couldn't see her going back to live in such a place tamely.

"No!" she said firmly and then paused before saying in unsure tone, "Yes? … Ugh! It's complicated." With a groan of frustration, she buried her face in her hands.

Eugena felt surprisingly sorry for her. And a little bit ashamed of herself. The truth of the matter, most of the danger they had just gone through had been Flynn's fault not Rapunzel's. The thugs of the Snuggly Duckling hadn't been interested in Rapunzel's hair except for the oddity of it. They had been more interested in turning Flynn in for the reward money. And the Guards, they would likely have ignored Rapunzel if it hadn't been obvious that she was connected to Flynn. The same could be said for the Stabbington Brothers.

And if they hadn't been trapped in that cave and about to drown, she herself would never have learned about the magic that resided in Rapunzel's hair.

Finally Rapunzel peeked through her fingers. She sat up and ran her hands over her hair, letting out a heavy breath, as if by doing so she was lifting the weight of her problems away. She looked sideways at Eugena with a sly grin. "So… _Eugena_ Fitzherbert, huh?"

Eugena blushed a little and looked away. When she spoke next, it was once more in her _real_ voice. "Ah, yeah. Well… I'll spare you the sob story of Poor Orphan Eugena Fitzherbert. It's a little bit of a…" She made a face before continued, "Well, it's a little bit of a downer." As a pleasant surprise, instead of looking uninterested or bored, Rapunzel scooted a little closer, crossed her legs, and put her chin in her hands. She looked for the entire world like she was incredibly interested in hearing about Eugena. Eugena chuckled a little. "There was this book. A book I used to read every night to the younger kids. The Tales of Flynnagan Rider." She waved her hand across the air as if showing off a banner as she explained. Then she waved an imaginary sword. "Swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive, big adventurer. Not that he'd ever brag about it, of course." She sort of whispered the last part as an aside to Rapunzel.

"Was he a girl in disguise, too?" Rapunzel asked with a chuckle.

That brought Eugena up short. "Uh… Well, no. And he wasn't a thief either." She admitted shame-faced, shoulders dropping. She turned back to Rapunzel, putting renewed enthusiasm into her words. "Actually he had enough money to do anything he wanted to do. He could _go_ anywhere he wanted to go." She turned away again, looking down at her clasped hands. "And… and for a kid with nothing… I don't know, I…" She trailed off for a second, "Just seemed like the better option."

Rapunzel chuckled softly. But to Eugena's surprise that chuckle didn't sound malicious. In fact she actually doubted that Rapunzel could ever be malicious. It was more of a friendly understanding chuckle. Eugena looked at her and saw that she looked just as interested as she did when she started telling Rapunzel about herself. Still there needed to be something to lighten the mood, so Eugena had to say, "You can't tell anyone about this, okay?" Dropping back into her Flynn voice, she continued "It could _ruin_ my whole reputation."

That made Rapunzel grin. "Ah. We wouldn't want that." she teased back.

Her response actually pleased Eugena. It warmed her heart that Rapunzel would join in on the joke and so easily. "Well, a fake reputation is all a fake man has." She quipped, still speaking in Flynn's voice. Rapunzel laughed and Eugena found she liked hearing the blonde girl laugh. It was nice and Rapunzel looked so adorable when she did it. Especially when she looked at Eugena with those sweet green eyes.

 _What? Wait. Where did that come from?_ She thought startled at the butterflies that had erupted in her stomach. All of a sudden Eugena had the desperate urge to get away. And she needed to get away now! "Well, I should, umm…" Abruptly she lurched to her feet and took a few steps away from the fire. She scrambled for some reason she could use. Finally she had it. Stammering she said, "I-I-I should… I should get some more firewood." Turning she aimed to head into the night-dark woods.

"Hey." Rapunzel called out before Eugena could get too far. She turned back to face the blonde sitting next to the fire. Rapunzel smiled. "For the record, I _like_ Eugena Fitzherbert _much_ better than Flynn Rider."

For the first time in her life, Eugena felt touched. No one had ever said that about her. Not that anyone ever knew that Eugena Fitzherbert and Flynn Rider were one and the same. Point of fact, she was sure even the younger kids at the orphanage hadn't liked her all that much despite enjoying the stories she told them. Mostly because it was never a good idea to get too close to the other kids. You never knew when someone you were friends with was going to get adopted or otherwise leave.

She looked down at her left hand, running her thumb over the place that had once been slashed open on a rock in a desperate attempt to escape a cave filling with water. "Well, then you'd be the first." She said and truly meant it. "But thank you." She looked back at Rapunzel once more with a smile before walking off into the woods. As she did so, she took another look at her hand, marveling as she turned it over.

Before too long she was out of sight of their little campfire. While she was a little nervous about leaving Rapunzel alone, she needed to get away to think. And it had less to do with the surprise over the magic in Rapunzel's hair, and more to do with something far more nebulous. Something she wasn't sure she wanted to face.

 _Don't be ridiculous, Eugena,_ she thought as she gathered up a few fallen branches. She hadn't even realized that she no longer even thought of herself as Flynn. _It's just friendship, this thing between you and blondie. That's all. Don't go seeing things that aren't even there._

 _Lying to yourself, I see_ , an amused voice spoke in her head, sounding very much like Flynn at that moment. Eugena gritted her teeth and tried to ignore it. The voice wasn't done though. _That's not going to work, my girl. I_ _ **am**_ _you. I'm not going to go away and I am not afraid to say what you won't. You've gone and fallen in love with that girl._

"I have not." She bit out without realising that she had spoken out loud. "She only said she liked me. She probably only meant as friends." She finally realized what she was doing and wanted to bash her forehead against a tree. "And now I'm arguing with myself."

 _And losing_ , the Flynn-voice put in helpfully. _What's so bad about being in love with her? She's smart, clever, pretty as Hell. She can take care of herself and isn't afraid to put you in your place. About the only down-side was that she failed to respond to the Smolder._

Eugena snorted. "Oh, I don't know. How about the fact that girls can't be in love with other girls? That's a pretty big obstacle."

For a moment she thought that would be the end of the argument with that inner voice. There was silence in her head, but then the voice said, _Ah. I think I see now._ _ **That's**_ _not the real problem here. The real problem is that_ _ **you**_ _don't feel worthy of_ _ **being**_ _loved. Because everyone who ever cared about you before has always abandoned you,_ _ **haven't they?**_

As much as she hated to admit it, the voice was right. That was the crutch of the matter. She hadn't known anyone who she could say truly cared about her ever since she was a very little girl when her mother had died and her aunt had dumped her at the orphanage. Even at the age of four it hadn't been hard to figure out, not when you hear your only blood-kin say she couldn't afford to feed another mouth, especially not the unwanted brat of her sister's. And yet now, here was someone. Someone special and unique. Someone who might actually like her for _**her**_. Someone she liked back. Far more than she should.

And that absolutely terrified Eugena.

The Flynn-voice suddenly took on a wheedling tone. _But why not take this chance? Who knows, she might love you back, you know._

But Eugena just couldn't do that. She couldn't ruin the first friendship she'd had in most of her life by confessing _those_ kinds of feelings. No, better to keep this to herself.

 _If that's what you want to do,_ the voice said and she could almost picture Flynn standing in front of her shaking his head, _but I think you're making a big mistake._

Well, if she was, it was hers to make. She gathered up as much wood as she could and headed back to the campsite. Just as she reached it, she called out to Rapunzel. "So, hey, uh… Can I ask you something?"


	10. Stories By The Campfire

**AN:** I'm afraid that the next two chapters after this are going to be delayed. I leave tomorrow on a two week vacation and will be without internet. So look for the next update on October 29th. Then it will be back to the regular schedule November 3rd.

 _Nikkibecket1997_ : Thank you! I reveal some important clues in this chapter pertaining to that.

* * *

Rapunzel smiled as she watched Eugena disappeared among the night shadows under the trees. A Wonderfully pleasant warmth filled her chest, one that had nothing to do with the fire in front of her. It was strange. She had never felt so close to anyone before, not even her own mother.

Eugena was so very different from her persona of Flynn Rider. Where he was stand-offish and arrogant, Eugena was open and so very nice, even when she was in the midst of a freak out. She had even apologised for shouting at Rapunzel, something that Mother had never done. She had told about how her favourite book had inspired her to become Flynn Rider, though Rapunzel was still a little confused as to why she chose to pretend to be a man. Couldn't she have become a female thief?

Rapunzel thought back to that moment in the tower when she had first examined the unconscious Eugena. She had thought then, that Eugena was beautiful even as a man. Now she still was beautiful. Maybe not in the same way that Mother was beautiful, but still. She had strong features, but they suited her perfectly. She had to wonder how Eugena managed to disguise her figure though. _Maybe, she has even less of a figure than I have_. Rapunzel thought idly.

"Well," said a voice Rapunzel had never thought she's hear right then. "I thought he'd _never_ leave."

"Mother?" With a sinking heart, she turned to see her mother standing behind her, pulling back the cowl of her cloak. A very tiny part of her was relieved as she noted Mother referred to Eugena as a _he_. That meant she hadn't been listening in that long on their conversation. In the thin moonlight filtering through the trees, Mother's appearance had changed drastically. The deep ebony of her hair had dulled and her skin had the look of paper. Add to that, her strangely pleasant expression, Mother had taken on a macabre aspect.

She inspected her nails for a second before meeting Rapunzel's eyes. "Hello, dear."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pascal huddle down on the tree root they were sitting on and turn brown to match the colour of the bark. Rapunzel lunged to her feet, stammering nervously. "But I-I-I… I don't… How did you _find_ me?" she asked as Mother walked over and put her arms around Rapunzel.

"Oh, it was easy, really." Mother replied, running one hand along Rapunzel's hair. "I just listened for the sound of _complete_ and _utter_ betrayal and followed _that_."

"Mother…" Rapunzel sighed. She could hear the blatant disappoint in her mother's words. She knew shouldn't have left the tower and she knew she had gone against Mother's wishes. Surely if she just explained things, it would be all right.

But Mother was clearly not in the mood to listen. "We're going home, Rapunzel. Now." she ordered, taking Rapunzel's left wrist. She turned and started to pull her daughter along behind her.

Rapunzel dug in her heels and pulled her wrist free. "You don't understand. I've been on this _incredible_ journey, and I've seen and learned _so_ much." She looked at Mother as she shyly added, "I've even met someone."

"Yes, the wanted _thief_. I'm _so_ proud." Mother's expression hardened and the hold she placed on Rapunzel's wrist was vise-like this time. "Come on, Rapunzel."

But Rapunzel didn't want to just come on. She was a little annoyed that Mother had dismissed Eugena as just a wanted thief, even if that was technically what the other girl was. As she stumbled in her mother's wake, she protested, "Mother, wait. I think…" Again she pulled free. She no idea where her reason was coming from, but she just couldn't deny it. "I think sh… _**he**_ likes me."

She felt guilty about changing the pronoun, but in a way she had promised Eugena that she wouldn't tell anyone the truth. And just like every other promise she made, she wasn't about to break this one.

"Likes you?" Mother repeated, looking over her shoulder at Rapunzel. "Please, Rapunzel, that's demented!"

"But Mother, I…" Rapunzel tried to protest. Just like always, Mother just rode right over top of her as she brushed pass her.

" _ **This is why you never should have left. Dear this whole**_ **romance** _ **you've invented,**_ " The way Mother emphasised the word romance made Rapunzel frown slightly. She hadn't mentioned anything about a romance between her and Eugena. She had meant liked as friends.

A very tiny part of her protested even her own denial of that.

Mother continued without even noticing Rapunzel's distraction. She swooped up behind Rapunzel, taking a hold of her shoulders. " _ **Just proves you're too naïve to be here.**_ "

For the first time in her life, Rapunzel couldn't bring herself to believe Mother's words. Something, a part of her that sounded a lot like both Eugena and Flynn, told her that what Mother was saying was all lies. That she was only doing this to scare Rapunzel.

" _ **Why would he like you? Come on now, really.**_ " Mother continued, drawing Rapunzel around in a circle by her hands. She let go and lifted up two handfuls of Rapunzel's hair. " _ **Look at you! You think that he's impressed?**_ " She dropped the hair and drew back to the place she had first appeared. Spreading her arms wide, she crooned, " _ **Don't be a dummy, come with Mummy. Mother…**_ "

But Rapunzel had had enough of listening to her mother. "No!" the word blurted out before she could stop herself.

Mother paused and a dreadfully sly smirk crossed her lips. "No? _**Oh, I see how it is.**_ "

Rapunzel's eyes widened a little. A small ball of sudden fear formed in the pit of her stomach. She had never so openly defied her mother before. And now she couldn't help but be afraid of the consequences.

" _ **Rapunzel knows best.**_ " Mother strutted forward, one hand on her hip. " _ **Rapunzel's so mature now. Such a clever grown up**_ **miss.** " She patted Rapunzel roughly on the head and then lifted her chin with her fingers. Mother's nails dug a little under her chin as she flicked her hand away. " _ **Rapunzel knows best. Fine, if you're so sure now, go ahead and give him THIS!**_ "

She walked a few steps away and then turned, holding up Eugena's satchel from under her cloak. Rapunzel's mouth dropped open. "How did you…?" she struggled to ask. She couldn't imagine how her mother could have possible found it. Then she remembered. When she had hidden it the last time, it was possible that she hadn't closed the flap on it properly. Maybe the jewels on the metal thing had caught on some light and revealed the hiding place?

Mother took the thing from the satchel, brandishing it. " _ **THIS is why he's here. Don't let him deceive you. Give it to him, watch, you'll see!**_ " She flung it at Rapunzel and she caught it out of the air. Resolve filled Rapunzel. She wasn't going to let Mother know she was at all worried about Eugena's integrity.

"I will!" she declared defiantly.

" _ **Trust me, my dear,**_ **that's** _ **how fast he'll leave you!**_ " Mother snapped her fingers for emphasis as she stalked back to Rapunzel. Tossing the strap of the satchel over Rapunzel's shoulders, she got right into Rapunzel's face and hissed, " _ **I won't say I told you so! Now Rapunzel knows best! So, if he's such a dreamboat, go ahead and put him,**_ " she circled once more behind Rapunzel as the girl looked down at the metal circle in her hands. The more Mother spoke, the tiniest bit of doubt formed. She couldn't help remember the number of times Flynn had tried to trick her into giving this back. Again Mother spat, " _ **to the TEST!**_ "

She drew back once more and Rapunzel put up a hand to keep her from leaving just yet. "Mother, wait!"

But Mother clearly intended for Rapunzel to learn this lesson on her own. " _ **If he's lying, don't come crying! Mother knows BEST!**_ " And with that, she vanished into the night.

Rapunzel was left with Eugena's satchel hanging off her shoulder, the metal circle in her hands, and a whole lot of doubt. She didn't want to believe that after all they had gone through; Eugena would abandon her just like Mother had said. Before she could gather her wits, there was the snap of a twig on the far side of the fire. And then Eugena called out to her.

"So, hey uh… Can I ask you something?"

Frantically, Rapunzel stuffed the circle and the satchel into the first hiding place she could see. She spotted Eugena swinging her legs over a fallen log, arms full of wood for the fire. She hurried back to the fireside, turning to make sure that no sign of the satchel was visible from there.

Eugena continued with her question, "Is there any chance I'm going to get super strength in my hand? Because I'm not going to lie. That would be stupendous." There was a pause and Eugena's voice changed from jovial to concerned. "Hey, you all right?"

"Oh! Sorry," Rapunzel said as nonchalantly as she could as she turned to face the other girl, "yes. Umm… Just lost in thought, I guess." She tried a smile, but it felt brittle even to her.

For a moment, it looked like it was as obvious to Eugena as well. But then she just gave a little _fair-enough-_ shrug and knelt to dump her load of wood. "I mean, 'cause here's the thing, superhuman good looks, Flynn's always had them." She grinned playfully up at Rapunzel as she set about adding the wood to the fire. "Born with it, you could say. But superhuman strength? Can you imagine the possibilities of this?"

Nervously, as she listened to Eugena blather on, Rapunzel dared a glance over her shoulder at the hollow tree-stump where she had stashed the satchel. With Mother's warnings ringing in her mind, she was too scared now to reveal that satchel to Eugena. She didn't want to believe Mother was right, but she also didn't want to think otherwise either.

"There." Eugena sat back on her heels and slapped her hands together to brush them off. "That should last the night. Now, I don't know about you," she looked up at Rapunzel as the blonde girl took her seat on the root again and picked up Pascal, "but _I_ have had a _very_ long day and I have no problem admitting that I am _exhausted_. We should get some sleep."

Rapunzel quickly agreed and slid off the tree root. She started to gather up her hair to use as a combination pillow and blanket. Then she caught sight of Eugena watching her with a curious look in her brown eyes. Suddenly remembering her manners, Rapunzel held up part of her hair and asked, "Do you want some? My hair makes a pretty soft pillow and it always keeps me plenty warm."

"No, no." Eugena replied, holding up her hands. To take the sting out her words, she smiled as she explained. "Truth to tell, blondie. Of the two of us, I _am_ the one more used to sleeping out of doors so you go right ahead. All yours."

 _Well, that does make sense I suppose,_ Rapunzel thought and said, "Okay then. Good night Eugena."

Eugena suddenly made a face and sighed. "You, uh… You aren't going to call me that tomorrow, are you?" she asked.

"Why not?" Rapunzel asked confused. "It's your name. Your _real_ name."

"I know _that_ , but," Eugena left out another huge sigh and waved a hand at the clothing she was wearing, "look at me! Nobody is going to believe that I'm a girl, dressed like this. And they're going to wonder why you're called a man by a girl's name. So can't you just keep calling me Flynn?"

With a frown, Rapunzel shook her head. "No. If I call you Flynn, people might try to get you arrested. Like the thugs back at the Snuggly Duckling. I don't want that to happen."

"But you _can't_ call me Eugena!" she protested.

 _Okay, she sort of has a point there._ Rapunzel could agree with that sentiment. She thought for a moment and then came up with a solution. "Eugene."

Eugena gave her a sideways look. "Beg pardon?"

"I'll call you Eugene." Rapunzel smiled. "It's close enough to your real name and it's _not_ Flynn."

It was clear that Eugena wasn't going to win this and while the girl did concede defeat, she didn't do so gracefully. "There's no way I can talk you out of this, is there?" To answer, Rapunzel just shook her head firmly. Eugena make another face and groaned. "All right, all right. Well, good night blondie." She turned over onto her side with a huff.

Rapunzel curled up under her hair. Pascal settled down beside her. There were a few moments of silence as Rapunzel looked up at the few stars visible through the branches overhead. Seeing them, she suddenly remembered something she had wanted to ask nearly all day. "Hey, Eugena? Are you asleep yet?"

The figure on the other side of the fire didn't move. "No… What is it?"

"There's something that I've been wondering about. Can you tell me about the Heir?" Rapunzel asked. Eugena was silent for a moment and then turned slightly to look over her shoulder at her. She had one eyebrow raised so Rapunzel clarified, "When I asked you about the floating lights, you said they were 'the lantern thing they did for the Heir'. What does that mean?"

"You don't know the story?" There was genuine surprise in her voice.

Rapunzel refrained from rolling her eyes, thinking _I wouldn't have asked if I did._ Instead she just said, "Mother never tells me anything about Outside unless it's to tell me how horrible and dangerous it is." She was a little hesitant to bring up Mother's stories especially after the confrontation she had just had with her mother.

Eugena rolled onto her back and sat up on her elbows. "Huh. If that's the case, I'm surprised she wouldn't tell you this one then." Rapunzel looked at her curiously and Eugena shrugged. "Because if there ever was a story that would convince someone to not go outside, this would be it."

"Oh?" Rapunzel sat up as well, tucking the edges of her skirt around her legs. This was just making her more curious. "Can you tell me the story?"

"I don't know, blondie," Eugena complained, running her hand over her face, "It's not a very good story. In fact, it's… it's rather sad."

That just made Rapunzel all the more determined to hear it. "I still want to hear it." When Eugena looked like she was going to say no again, Rapunzel looked at her with pleading eyes. "Please?"

Eugena looked back at her and groaned. "Oh god, not the puppy eyes." She muttered in annoyance, but gave in. She sat up and crossed her legs. "Okay, okay. But don't blame me if you end up with nightmares. Now let me think." She furrowed her brows for a second and then took a deep breath. "It all starts with the sun. Once upon a time, it is said, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens. And from this small drop of sun grew a magic golden flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured."

As she listened to Eugena's story, Rapunzel couldn't help but notice that the golden flower had the same sort of power that her hair did. She wanted to interrupt to point that out, but she figured that would be a little rude.

"Unfortunately it was found by a greedy old witch. You _might_ want to remember her. She's kind of important." Eugena continued, shooting Rapunzel a bit of a grin. "Well, centuries passed and a hop, skip, and a boat-ride away there grew a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled over by a beloved king and queen. And the queen, well, she was about to have a baby." At that moment, Eugena's expression changed, becoming more pensive. "But then she got sick. _Really_ sick. There was nothing the doctors could do and she was running out of time, and that's when people start looking for a miracle."

"Or in this case, a magic golden flower?" Rapunzel dared to ask when Eugena paused.

Eugena looked at her and smiled, touching the side of her nose. "Exactly. Everyone went out in search for the flower. Not just Guards, but ordinary people too. And finally after weeks of searching it was _found_ growing on a ledge over-looking the ocean. Two soldiers climbed down, dug up the flower, and brought it back to the kingdom. The doctors were able to make a potion out of it and the king gave it to the queen and the magic of the flower healed the queen. A healthy baby boy, a prince was born, with long golden hair." Eugena smiled at her again. "I'll give you a hint, that's Rupert, the Heir to the throne."

Rapunzel giggled softly. So far the story was actually nice, not sad or scary at all except for the queen getting sick.

"To celebrate his birth, the king and queen launched a flying lantern into the sky." Eugena lifted her hands to demonstrate the release of the imaginary lantern. "And for that one moment, everything was perfect." The smile on Eugena's lips faded suddenly. "And then that moment ended."

When she didn't continue the story for a moment, Rapunzel asked "Was it the witch?"

Eugena gave her a half-smile and pointed at her. "Ah! I told you she'd be important. You see this witch… No one really knows who she was… Well, instead of sharing the sun's gift, this witch hoarded its healing powers for her own use. When the king's men took the flower, she became angry and vowed revenge on the kingdom. One night, she broke into the castle, stole the child, and just like _that_ ," she snapped her fingers, "gone!"

Rapunzel gasped softly, bringing her fingers to her lips. _That poor baby. And the poor king and queen too._

"The kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find the prince." Eugena gave a little sigh. "So each year, on his birthday, the king and queen released thousands of lanterns into the sky in the hope that one day their lost Heir would return." She cast a sideways look at Rapunzel. "So now that I've given you nightmares, Good night!" Quickly she lay back down on her side.

That make Rapunzel laugh. While this _was_ a sad story, especially the ending, compared to some of her mother's tales about how the world was filled with horrible selfish people, it was not all that bad. "Hardly nightmare fuel, Eugena." She said and looked up at the stars again. "Do you think he'll ever come back?"

Eugena gave a soft exasperated sigh. "I highly doubt it, blondie. It's likely he isn't even still alive."

"That's a horrible thought!" Rapunzel cried. She just couldn't accept that outcome as calmly at Eugena seemed to. "I mean, the king and queen obviously still believe he'll come home. Otherwise why would they send up the lanterns every year?"

The other girl sat up once more. "But think about it, Goldie. He's been missing for almost _twenty_ years. If he _was_ still alive, wouldn't you think he'd come back by now?"

Rapunzel knew she made a very convincing argument. Still Rapunzel just couldn't bring herself to be as pessimistic as Eugena. "What if he can't? What if he doesn't know the lanterns are for him? What if he _has_ been found, but just doesn't know it yet?"

Eugena looked at her for a long moment and then chuckled. "You really do believe that, don't you? Well, if _you_ think so, I guess I can too. Now, please! Go to sleep." She looked at her with her own version of the 'puppy eyes', which was entirely different from Flynn's Smolder. Rapunzel couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, okay." She said and the two of the settle down to sleep. As she curled up under her hair again she added, "It's strange though."

There was a groan from the other side of the fire. "What's strange?" Eugena asked, sounding completely unwilling to make any more conversation.

Rapunzel fiddled with a bit of hair by her cheek. "The prince and I… We have the same birthday." She explained.

"Really?" Now Eugena sounded interested and she turned to look at Rapunzel. "How old are you turning?"

"Eighteen." Rapunzel answered shyly.

She could see Eugena smile in the firelight. "Well, well. That _is_ certainly an important one, so let me be the first to wish you a Happy Birthday. And with that in mind, I better make sure that tomorrow is the best day of your life. And to do _that_ we really, really need to get some sleep! Please, I'm begging you!"

Rapunzel laughed again and said. "All right. Good night Eugena."

"Good night, birthday girl." Eugena answered and, for all appearances, went to sleep.

Rapunzel didn't follow into dreamland right away. She looked back up at the stars. She had wanted to mull over the story of the Lost Prince a little longer, but something Eugena had said just before going to sleep dominated her thoughts instead. The other girl had wished her a happy birthday. That made Rapunzel feel all warm and fizzy. And Eugena _was_ the first to do so, at least for this year. More often than not, Mother would forget to say that particular phrase. Pascal hadn't been with her long enough so this would be the first year he could.

Her mind wandered back to Rupert, the Lost Prince. Tomorrow was his birthday too. Rapunzel smiled a little and said silently to the stars overhead, _Happy birthday to you too, Prince Rupert. Where ever you are._


	11. Another Deal Made

**AN:** I'm back! I had a wonderful trip, but now I'm back online. So here's the next chapter and look for a regular update on Tuesday as well.

* * *

For her entire life, Eugena always woke up slowly. It usually took her brain about an hour to come to full wakefulness, no matter the racket anyone made. Unless, of course, she was startled awake by a certain chameleon's tongue in her ear. That was just the way it was for her. Not exactly the best habit for a thief, but she always seemed to manage. So the next morning, when she felt something wet hit her cheek, Eugena woke up at her usual pace. Which was slowly.

At the second drop of water, she finally opened her eyes and looked up at the _VERY_ angry horse glaring down at her. In her muddled state, Eugena was completely unconcerned. "Well, I hope you're here to apologise." she told the horse calmly and then settled back on the rock she was using for a pillow to go right back to sleep.

That was not a good enough response for the horse apparently. The next thing Eugena knew, the stupid animal had latched onto her boot and was dragging her off to face whatever justice it had in mind. Eugena did what any reasonable person would do in that situation.

She screamed.

"No! No! Put me down! Stop it!" she cried as she scrabbled for a hold on the grass as she was dragged away. She barely noticed Rapunzel and Pascal starting awake at all the noise she was making. "No! Let. Me. Go!" The horse neighed angrily in response and continued to pull her along the ground.

To her relief, Rapunzel ran over and grabbed onto her wrists. The blonde girl leaned back as she pulled with all her might. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Eugena was a little surprised at the other girl's strength. She was managing to hold her own against a murderous horse after all. Eugena was lifted off the ground, suspended between the two.

"Give. Me. He… Him!" Rapunzel ordered the horse, straining with effort. It was also a surprise that she was using the male pronoun.

 _Then again, she did kind of promise not to reveal that bit of info. I just didn't think she'd bother with a horse._ Eugena thought irreverently. The horse refused to let go and shook its head. Eugena was starting to feel her joints ache. This battle of wills between blondie and the horse couldn't go on much longer before something gave. Eugena was just afraid that it would be her that did. The very last thing she wanted was for her arms to be ripped out of their sockets. "Ow, ow! Stop, stop, stop!"

Thankfully the first thing to give was the hold that Eugena's boot had on her foot. It slipped off with a pop. With the release of the tension, Rapunzel fell backwards and Eugena flew over her head. Eugena looked up to see the horse shaking its head groggily, having landed on its rump as well. It looked down at the boot it still had in its mouth, then jumped to its feet and charged at her again. Eugena cowered against a tree, terrified of the crazy thing.

Rapunzel jumped to her feet and dashed in front of the charging horse, keeping it from Eugena. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" she cried, holding up both hands. The horse tried to dodge around the slender girl, only for her to block him at every turn. "Whoa. Whoa!" she repeated, "Easy, boy. Easy! Settle down."

Eugena couldn't do anything except her very best to merge with the tree. If Rapunzel wanted to try to tame the psycho beast, she could go right ahead. And strangely enough, that's exactly what started to happen. The horse stopped its frantic movements to get around Rapunzel, danced in place a couple of times, and finally froze as it seemed to be mesmerised by Rapunzel.

"Easy." She said soothingly at it, slowly lowering her hands now that the horse was calming down. "That's it." From the top of her head, Eugena could swear she saw Pascal making the same calming movements that Rapunzel was with his paws. The horse just stared at the pair of them and blinked. Rapunzel wasn't finished though. "Now sit."

Eugena wanted to laugh. That was ridiculous. No horse, especially not this one, was going to sit like some dog. But that's what the horse did. Sort of. It lowered its back end only half-way to the ground, unwillingness to comply in every line of its body.

"Sit!" Rapunzel repeated firmly. With what would have been a groan of frustration in a human, the horse sat.

Eugena's mouth dropped open. "What?" she exclaimed in shock.

"Now, drop the boot." Rapunzel ordered, pointing at the ground. The horse glared for a moment. "Drop it!" Rapunzel leaned towards the horse as she repeated the order the second time. The two matched wills and the horse was the first to crack. Slowly it opened its mouth until Eugena's boot dropped to the ground. Then to Eugena's horror, Rapunzel started to _coo_ at the damn thing. She was _cooing_ at the _horse_. And not just any horse, but the one that had almost killed them the day before by causing that dam to collapsed. She started pet the horse's muzzle. "Aww. You're such a good _boy_! Yes you _are_!"

What was worse was that the horse was eating all this up! Its tail began to _wag_!

Rapunzel made a pouty face and asked "Are you all tired from chasing this bad man all over the place?"

As the horse nodded sadly in agreement, Eugena protested. "Excuse me?!" She was a little offended by this apparent defection by Rapunzel. It wasn't _her_ fault this stupid horse decided to chase her all over the place! It could have been sensible and have left well enough alone once it had lost her track after that fall off the cliff.

Neither paid any attention to Eugena at the moment though.

"Nobody appreciates you, do they?" Rapunzel threw her arms around the animal's neck. The horse blew out a sad breath in response. "Do they?" she repeated. It snorted in agreement and tucked its head over Rapunzel's shoulder in a sort of hug.

"Oh, come on." Eugena couldn't handle this anymore. "He's a _bad_ horse!"

Rapunzel smiled as she looked back at Eugena. "Oh, he's nothing but a big sweet-heart." She said. The horse neighed happily in agreement and nuzzled the girl. "Isn't that right… Maximus?" Rapunzel read off the name plaque on the horse's harness after lifting its head up by scratching its chin.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." Eugena grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. It wasn't fair. If there was any justice in the world, that stupid horse would _not_ be getting all this love and affection from Rapunzel after trying to drag Eugena off. That brief sentence was a bad move on her part though. She had managed to distract Maximus out of enjoying the pettings and scratches curtesy of Rapunzel and get it glaring at her again. Eugena flinched back against the tree again.

"Look." Rapunzel said to Maximus, getting between them once more by leaning over until her head hung upside down in front of the horse's face. "Today is kind of the _biggest_ day of my life, and the thing is, I need you," She stepped back and dragged Eugena to her feet by the arm without taking her eyes off Maximus, " _not_ to get him arrested."

Maximus huffed suspiciously and pinned his ears back. It was clear exactly what the animal thought of _that_ idea.

Rapunzel kept her wheedling tone as she added to her bargain with the stubborn horse. "Just for twenty-four hours, and then you can chase each other to your heart's content. Okay?" She smiled hopefully back and forth between them.

Eugena sighed. It was obvious that this was yet another unwilling deal she was going to have to make to please Rapunzel. She shoved aside the thought of why that was so important and finally stuck out her hand to Maximus.

Maximus glared at it and turned his head away with a snort.

 _Oh, no you don't, you damn thing,_ Eugena thought irritably at the horse as she glared back. _You do_ _ **not**_ _get to ruin this day for blondie. Now agree to the deal or I'll make you regret it_. How she was going to do that, Eugena had no idea, but she silently vowed that she would find a way.

Rapunzel must have sensed that it would take a little more convincing to get Maximus to cave in. "And it's also my birthday." She added through her teeth, never losing that smile. "Just so you know."

 _So there!_ Eugena added in her head, mentally sticking her tongue out at the horse. It was childish and she knew it was childish, but she pictured it anyway.

Maximus was stubborn though. He kept his head turned away for a long moment and then blew out another breath. Apparently, even if he was completely unwilling to do so, Maximus wasn't going to disappoint his new friend. The horse turned back and stared at Eugena for another long moment before shoving his hoof into her hand. The two of them 'shook' on it, still glaring at each other. Eugena sneered a little as she squeezed her hand on Max's hoof and, if the horse had been a person, she was sure he would have been trying to crush her fingers as well.

In the distance, bells began to toll. Rapunzel, mesmerized by the sound, pushed the 'handshake' apart and walked right between Eugena and Maximus. She hardly paid any attention to them, so caught up she was with the sounds of the bells. Eugena and Maximus just stared after her as she headed in the direction of the city. Eugena even forgot for a moment that she was standing so close to a horse that didn't like her all that much.

She was reminded of that fact, however, by the sucker-punch Maximus gave her with one fore hoof. Eugena yelped in pain as she fell to the ground with her arms wrapped around her gut. The bruises from yesterday's adventures voiced their complaints along with the new ones. Above her, Maximus made a sound that could only be described as a snicker. She glared up at the animal and imagined him doing several things that were highly unlikely and anatomically impossible.

As if sensing her thoughts, Maximus quickly trotted off after Rapunzel.

 _Somehow I have the feeling that this is going to be a very difficult day._ Eugena thought in irritation as she grabbed her boot, which still had imprints of Maximus' teeth in the leather, and shoved it back on. _What with dodging Guards, showing blondie the town, and now that stupid horse tagging along. Great, just fan-freaking-tastic._

She got to her feet and hurried after the others.

By the time she caught up with them, Rapunzel was already half-way across the bridge leading to the island. She turned around to look back at Eugena with the widest grin possible on her face. Pascal had a matching grin on his face too. She mouthed the word "Wow!" and turned around again. She continued the rest of the way across the bridge, bouncing along on her toes and looking about her in wonder.

Eugena followed a much slower pace. As far as she was concerned there was no need to rush, especially if she wanted to avoid drawing attention. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a poster pinned to one of the bridge's decorative columns. One of _her_ wanted posters. She quickly tore it down and crumpled it into a ball. She definitely didn't want one of those on display right now. Eugena looked around for some place to dispose of it. That's when she came face to face with Maximus standing beside her.

Judging by the dark look the horse was giving her, Maximus didn't approve of the wanted poster's removal. _Too bad, so sad, Max,_ she thought with amusement as a wicked idea came to her. Before the horse could react, she quickly shoved the crumpled poster into his mouth. The look of surprise on his face was so worth it! Eugena gave a content chuckle and folded her arms smugly.

The next thing she knew, a slobber-soaked wanted poster was plastered over her face. She could hear Maximus make the snickering sound again. _WHY YOU LITTLE…!_ She thought in annoyance as she slapped the poster off her face. That sort of thing could _not_ go unchallenged! Eugena gave the horse's head a hard shove.

Max retaliated by head-butting her in the chest.

And the fight was on.

Eugena jumped onto the horse's neck, grabbing one of his ears with one hand and lifting the other to deliver a good solid punch. Maximus neighed angrily and clamped his teeth around Eugena's thigh. Before either could do any (more) damage to the other, there was a loud squeak.

Both froze instantly and looked up to see Pascal looking back at them from the top of Rapunzel's head. He growled warningly and pointed at them with the clear order to stop it or he'd tell on them.

Just like misbehaving adolescents, Eugena and Maximus stopped. Maximus let go of Eugena's leg and Eugena slid off his neck. They stood side by side with identical sulking expressions. Once Pascal turned back around though, Eugena elbowed Maximus sharply and Maximus slammed his shoulder into Eugena. The fight had ended, but was not going to be forgotten.

By this point Rapunzel had entered through the gates of the city. She seemed completely in awe of all the people chattering and bustling around. The kingdom went all out for this festival, one of the most important of the year in Corona. There were swags of flowers and strings of purple flags with gold suns strung up between the buildings, criss-crossing the street. Similar flags on poles were placed above windows and doorways on most of the buildings.

Eugena quickly saw that they were going to have a problem. Due to the crowded streets, people were stepping all over Rapunzel's hair. Leaving it loose wasn't going to do at all. Eugena ran forward, scooping up the hair as she went, until she and Rapunzel, who was doing the same, met in the middle. Maximus followed along behind Eugena. The blonde girl looked at her with a worried expression, obviously unsure as to what to do.

Well, to Eugena the obvious solution was to tie or braid it up somehow. The only thing was that, despite being female herself, she was no good at such things. She barely did anything with her own hair other than tie it back in a tail. With a frown she looked around. What they needed was some help. A set of giggles drew her attention to one of the city fountains where a group of four young girls sat, braiding each other's hair. _Perfect_ , she thought.

She whistled three notes to get their attention. The four girls looked up. Eugena held up the bundle of blonde hair in her arms and grinned. With simultaneous eager gasps, the four girls, sisters judging by their similar features and matching twill skirts and yellow blouses, jumped down from the fountain and ran over.

"We need a bit of help with my friend's hair." Eugena told them. "Think you can do something?"

"Oh yes!" the oldest cried gleefully. The group moved off to an uncrowded side-street so the girls would have room to work. Along the way Rapunzel chatted quite eagerly with them and, just like with the thugs, quickly learned everything about them. They were indeed sisters. Their father was a barber and their mother a hair-stylist, which explained their expertise as well. The oldest, with a single French braid was Laura, the two with braided pigtails were Lucy and Lily, and the youngest with the five braids was Lizette.

Taking her bundle of hair, Eugena walked down to the far end of the street so Rapunzel's hair was neatly spread out. The girls immediate began to braid Rapunzel's hair, skipping and jumped back and forth as they did so. Part way through, the middle two girls ran off, but before Eugena could start worrying that they had gone to get the Guards, Lucy and Lily came back with bunches of flowers. They started adding the flowers to the massive creation.

Eugena relaxed and leaned against a wall, propping her elbows on the top. Pascal perched on the wall to one side and Max stood on the other, keeping a determined eye on Eugena. She just smirked nonchalantly back at the horse. Then she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. Marching along the street paralleling the wall was a pair of Guards. Instinctively Eugena ducked out of sight.

She held her breath, waiting for the shout of recognition, but none came. The sound of marching boots went right by without stopping before fading off into the distance. Eugena breathed a slow sigh of relief. That had been a close one.

Glancing back at Rapunzel, Eugena felt her breath catch in her throat. The little girls had worked fast. The braid was done. Though it was nearly as thick as Rapunzel's waist, her hair now only came to her ankles and was festooned all through-out with the flowers. Not even realising what she was doing, Eugena's lips curled up in an admiring smile.

"Aww! Thank you!" Rapunzel told the girls as she admired their handiwork. She spun in a circle, obviously reveling in the freedom her new hairdo allowed her.

Suddenly a smug nickering broke through Eugena's entrancement. She glanced at Maximus, almost unwilling to take her eyes off the blonde girl. The horse wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively, sporting a surprisingly human-like knowing grin.

Eugena blushed and shoved his head away. _That's just what I need. The horse thinking that I have that sort of feeling for Rapunzel,_ she thought furiously. _Little does he know, that's not going to happen._ Truth to tell, she was more annoyed at herself for being so blatantly obvious that even a horse was getting the wrong idea.

Apparently both Max and Pascal found her reaction hilarious however, judging by their snickers.

Rapunzel ran over and took Eugena's hands, pulling her to her feet. "Isn't this amazing?" she asked gleefully.

"Looks great on you, blondie." Eugena replied. "So, since this is the biggest day of your life, what do you want to do first?"

"Everything!" Rapunzel cried, grabbing Eugena's hand and dragging her off down the street.


	12. The Best Day Ever

**AN:** I think I agree with some of the other authors who have done similar retellings. This was probably the hardest chapter to write. Mostly because it's such a short scene in the movie, but yet I wanted to make a whole chapter out of it.

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" _What do you want to do first?_ " " _Everything!_ "

That's exactly what Rapunzel had in mind. It was her birthday and one day of freedom, barring yesterday, from her tower. So she was going to pack as many interesting things into today as possible. She dragged Eugena from booth to booth along the street, stopping time and again to examine what was on display. One booth had displays of flowers, another had loaves of bread, and a third had bolts of fabric on offer.

Each mad dash was accompanied by Rapunzel's squeal of delight at each new thing.

"Eugene!" she cried, careful to use Eugena's new fake name, "Look at these!" Pulling the other girl along by the hand, Rapunzel stopped by a cart full of boxes of fruit.

As she snatched up a pair of round orange coloured fruit, the fruit-seller said, "Those, my dear, are sweet oranges. Brought all the way from the south of Spain, they were. Grown there from trees that came all the way from the Orient."

Rapunzel barely listened to the man as she brought the fruits up to her nose and took a deep whiff of their strange smell. "Amazing! Have you _ever_ smelled anything so exotic?" she turned to Eugena and thrust the oranges into her hands. "Take a deep whiff in through the nose, Eugene!"

Eugena chuckled softly. "I really don't need t…"

Her words were cut off as Rapunzel, spotting an array of musical instruments at yet another street cart, grabbed her arm and yanked her off again. "Let's go over here!" she cried, barely noticing Eugena toss the two oranges back to the seller as she was hauled away.

"Easy, blondie!" Eugena cried, laughing. "Slow down. Nothing's going anywhere."

"I know…" Rapunzel mumbled as she dropped Eugena's arm and fiddled with the edge of her sleeve, since her hair had been so neatly braided up by those nice girls. She wasn't sure how to explain why she was so intent on seeing and doing everything possible to Eugena. "It's just…"

Thankfully she didn't. Now it was Eugena's turn to interrupt. She put a hand on her shoulder. "I know." She answered solemnly and then her expression turned cheerful. "Don't worry. I _did_ promise you the best day of your life, right? I know what will cheer you up." This time it was Rapunzel who ended up being pulled along, only not with quite the vigor that she had done to Eugena.

For some reason, Rapunzel liked having her hand held like that.

The other girl brought them over to a small boy with a pack full of the purple and gold flags that decorated the kingdom. Eugena dropped Rapunzel's hand and went down on one knee. "How much, kid?" she asked pointing at one of the flags.

"Three pennies, mister." The boy replied.

"Here you go." Eugena dug into the pouch on her hip and held out three small coins. The boy handed over one of the flags, took the coins and tipped his hat in thanks. Eugena grinned and pointed at the lad as she stood up again. She turned and held out the flag to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel took it with a wide smile of delight. _That was so sweet!_ She thought as she held it up to compare it with the banners of flags over the street. The golden sun on it seemed to shine brightly in her hands. She turned her head to look at Eugena, who had leaned in close to admire the flag as well. "Thank you, Eugene." Without thinking she gave the other girl a peck on the cheek.

For a brief second, Eugena looked a little stunned, but she covered it so quickly that Rapunzel wasn't sure she had seen it. She straightened and rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh… You're welcome, blondie. Call it a birthday gift. So you always have something to remember this day by." She grinned at Rapunzel.

Mother had never gotten her anything Rapunzel hadn't asked for before. All her other birthday gifts had been things she had specifically requested, mostly on Mother's suggestions. But Eugena had done this without any prompting from her at all. Rapunzel suddenly felt a warm tingling feeling in her middle. She brushed the feeling aside and held the flag close. "I certainly will!"

They walked along, trailed by Maximus and Pascal, who had chosen to perch on the horse's back. Eugena was pointing out a few of the more interesting sights. As they were passing an empty market square, Rapunzel saw about a dozen children drawing and colouring pictures on the cobblestones.

"Oh, look!" she said, pointing.

With a laugh, Eugena lead her over. "Chalk drawings. There's always someone who sets this up every year. Kids love it."

So it was true. Rapunzel circled around the different drawings, complimenting each child on their work. There were a couple of sun pictures, ones of fruit, one child did a tree, another did some flowers, and a third that had done an adorable bright pink bunny rabbit.

One of the children held up some purple and yellow chalk to Rapunzel. "Do you want to try?" she asked shyly.

"May I?" Rapunzel replied, and at the girl's nod, took the chalk and sprawled on the ground nearby to add her own creation. Soon, hers grew larger and larger than the rest. A huge sun, just like the one on her flag, with a background of purple and surrounded by people no two of which were alike. There was a courting couple, children playing, and a family with shopping, an older couple, and a mother pushing a pram. Even the background had subtle flower and curlicue designs.

Once she was finally finished, Rapunzel stood up to admire her work. Purple chalk dust covered both hands nearly to her elbows. She wiped her face against her arm to clear away any sweat. She glanced at Eugena to see what she thought of her artwork.

Eugena smiled in admiration and held out the flag to compare. "Looks brilliant, blondie. You're quite the artist."

Rapunzel grinned back. "You should see the tower. I painted _all_ the walls. I don't think I have any room left."

"I'll have to have a look around when we get back." Eugena replied. "That is, if there's time."

At that little reminder, Rapunzel's face fell. _If there's time_ , she thought, _and if Mother isn't waiting there for me to come home_. Absently, she brushed her cheeks with the back of her hand. She was so lost in pensive thoughts about Mother that she was surprised when Eugena rubbed her thumb against her cheek. She looked startled at the other girl.

"You had dust on your face." Eugena explained. There was something, though. Something else lurking in the back of those brown eyes. An emotion or more than one. Understanding was a big part of it, but there was something else that Rapunzel thought she saw there, but vanished before she could identify it.

"Oh!" Without thinking, she lifted her hands to scrub off the dust on her face.

Eugena quickly blocked her from doing so. "No, don't. You'll only put more there." She said with a supressed laugh. Before they could go looking for a place so Rapunzel could wash up, a thin elderly lady holding a broom beckoned to them.

"You can come inside my shop to wash up, dearie." She said to Rapunzel. "I've a pump and plenty of hot water. Your young man can wait out here."

"Thank you." Rapunzel said giggling a little. It seemed Eugena was right. People _were_ assuming she was a man, even though it was obvious to Rapunzel that she wasn't. Or at least now that she knew the truth. Eugena made a shooing motion and Rapunzel followed the old woman into her shop.

"It's so good to see young people enjoying themselves." The woman continued. "Minds me of my dear Albert when we were young, rest his soul. You take good care of that young man of yours, you hear. Fellows like him don't come along every day."

Thankfully a pair of ladies came into the shop just after them and the old woman went to take care of them, leaving Rapunzel to scrub the chalk off her hands and face in peace. It didn't take long and, as she was using a towel to dry off, she overheard part of the conversation the old woman was having with the other two.

"…thought your boy was going to make it down to help out." One of the ladies said.

The old woman sighed. "He was, but then the Captain had a right royal snit and ordered all of them to pull double duty today."

The other lady snickered, rather nastily. "When is the Captain ever _not_ in a snit? Not that I blame him much this time. I was talking to Martha and _she_ says that he and the rest lost track of that awful Flynn Rider after he stole the Crown of the Lost Prince."

"Well, _I_ heard that Rider managed to steal it right from under their noses…" The first lady was saying as Rapunzel slipped out the door of the shop, nodding her thanks to the owner as she went.

 _That must be why those men didn't like Eugena all that much_ , Rapunzel thought as she stepped outside. _And I guess that metal thing in her satchel is the crown those women were talking about._ She knew Eugena was a thief after seeing that terrible wanted poster back at the Snuggly Duckling. Rapunzel hadn't had much time to think about all that before now, what with all that had happened since then. _Why would Eugena steal a crown anyway? Does it have something to do with that dream of hers, of an island of her own?_

She looked around for her companions, but couldn't see Eugena anywhere. She did find Maximus and Pascal and went over to them. "Where's Eugene?" she asked them. Pascal pointed towards a bakery a couple of doors down. Rapunzel thought quickly. She had left the satchel hidden in that tree stump back at their camp. She needed to go get it, but there was no way to do that without Eugena finding out. She trusted her, but with Mother's warning, Rapunzel was going to have to wait for the right time to give the satchel back. She eyed the horse carefully.

"Maximus?" she began in her best pleading tone. "Could you do me a huge favor?"

The horse looked at her and bobbed his head.

Rapunzel smiled in relief. "I need you to go get something for me. Back at the camp where you found us, there's a hollow stump. Inside is Eugene's satchel." At that word, Maximus narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Rapunzel quickly held up her hands. "I know. I know. But I promised that I would give it back and I never break my promises." She glanced over at the bakery and saw Eugena coming out. She had to hurry this up. "I promise _you_ that I'll try to get him to give it back, okay?"

Maximus considered this for a long moment and finally agreed. Rapunzel beamed. "Pascal can show you right where it is. Thank you, Maximus!" The horse gave a long-suffering sigh and trotted off, the little chameleon on his back.

"Where are they going?" Eugena asked as she came up behind her. Rapunzel turned, hoping that the other girl hadn't heard any of that. She saw Eugena standing there with her hands behind her back.

"Pascal wanted to see more of the kingdom and Maximus offered to show him around." She lied quickly, tucking one hand in a fold of her skirt to hide the fact she had her fingers crossed.

For one moment, Eugena didn't look like she believed her. Then she smirked. "Well, well. I was convinced that the Great White Watchdog was going to keep me under his eye until the twenty-four hours were up. I guess I should thank you."

Rapunzel blushed, a little ashamed at the lie now. "I had nothing to do with it."

"Uh-huh." Eugena was still smirking a little.

"What were you doing in that bakery?" Rapunzel asked, wanting to change the subject.

Now it was Eugena's turn to get coloured cheeks. "I, uh… I just had a thought. What's a birthday without cake? I couldn't afford a real one, so I got you these!" She pulled her hands from behind her back to reveal a pair of cupcakes.

Rapunzel gasped in delight. She had loved the cupcakes that Attila made. She also had not failed to notice Eugena mentioning that she had actually paid for these. She took the one with pink frosting from her and opened her mouth to thank Eugena for the surprise. Before she could say anything, however, she caught sight of a pair of Guards coming around a corner at the end of the street behind Eugena. "Guards!" she hissed.

Eugena reacted instantly and grabbed her hand. Together they darted into an alley and ducked into a half-hidden doorway. Eugena leaned out to look back around the edge of the doorframe and Rapunzel peaked out around her. The two Guards walked right pass the entrance to the alley without stopping. The two girls looked back at each other, sharing grins.

The rest of the day went much like that. Going from one activity or sight to the next, all the while dodging the Guards. Eugena obviously was very good at finding places to hide whenever one showed up. It didn't matter if they were exploring an apothecary store or watching jugglers or enjoying the different festivities. To Rapunzel's delight, it practically became a game between the two of them.

One of the last places they visited was a cozy little shop, tucked a little out of the way. Rapunzel looked curiously at Eugena as they approached. In answer to the unspoken question, the other girl said "This is a bookshop, sort of. A bit like a library too. The owner doesn't mind if people come in to read the books, so long as they take care of them. I used to spend hours here as a kid." She eyed the building with a thoughtful expression. "Some of my better memories." She muttered.

Rapunzel wanted to ask about that little insight to Eugena's past, but the idea of a whole shop full of books just captured her imagination. She couldn't imagine that many books in one place. Having only had a handful of books her entire life, Rapunzel just couldn't picture it. "And anyone can go in to read the books?" she asked eagerly.

Eugena nodded as she opened the door on to paradise, as far as Rapunzel was concerned. Shelves and shelves of books. Hundreds of books. Piled on tables and displayed in the windows. Rapunzel brought her clasped hands up to her chin, grinning so wide her cheeks hurt. Soon she had nearly fifty books spread out on the floor of one of the little reading rooms. Books of tales and poetry. Of birds, of how to sail a ship, of philosophy. Her favourite, though, was the atlas. Maps of far-away places. Eugena sat next to her and described what she knew about every place that Rapunzel pointed out, though mostly she would preface what she knew with "Never been there myself, but I've heard…"

They stayed in that little bookshop for nearly three hours, until the owner politely shooed them out again.

Just as they stepped back out onto the street, Eugena's stomach growled. Seconds later it was answered by Rapunzel's. The two girls looked at each other and grinned. "Guess it _has_ been a while since those cupcakes." Eugena said, digging into her belt pouch. She made a bit of a face as she pulled out a small handful of coins. "I can't guarantee a five-star meal, but I think I have enough for some bread and cheese. And maybe some apples."

"That sounds just perfect." Rapunzel replied and looped her arm around Eugena's as they walked back to one of the market squares. The other girl as a little stiff at first, but quickly relaxed. They got in line at one of the food carts lining the square. Rapunzel was watching Eugena sort through the coins in her hand when something caught her eye.

It was a huge picture in an alcove set in the wall of a building. Rapunzel stepped out of line to examine it more closely.

It was a strange picture, made up of many tiny coloured tiles. A mosaic. It depicted a handsome couple holding a baby. Judging by their regal outfits and the crowns on the man's and woman's heads, it had to be of the king and queen. The queen was beautiful with long brown hair, green eyes and in a pretty blue gown. The king was taller, also brown-haired, with blue eyes, a neat full beard and mustache, and dressed in darker blue and a red over-robe. And the blond baby in the queen's arms must be the missing Prince Rupert. Several bouquets and vases of flowers were arrayed around the alcove.

Kneeling at the base of the mosaic was a young mother and her two children. The little girl held up a flower to her younger sibling. "It's for the lost prince." She explained as she set the flower down with all the rest.

Rapunzel took a second look at the baby in the mosaic. She felt something rather odd and unsettling. Like she should know him. Like she had seen that image somewhere before. And the more she looked at those green eyes, eyes so very much like her own, the stronger the unsettling feeling got. _How odd,_ she thought, _because I've never seen any image of Prince Rupert before in my life._

The sound of music being played behind her distracted her from her thoughts. Rapunzel turned to see a trio of musicians walk by. There was a fiddler, a piper, and a lute-player. And the tune they were playing was so lively that she couldn't help but follow them. Rapunzel soon forgot everything, including Eugena buying their dinner as she began to dance to the music.


	13. The Dance

**AN:** So here's the next chapter.

 _Jenae's Writing_ : Thank you for your review on my _Eyes of the Beholder_ fic. I actually had been working on that one long before this one and _On the Outside, Looking In._ I finally had the time to finish it while I was away on my vacation.

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"Two loaves please." Eugena told the food-seller, holding up two fingers. "And wedge of that cheese."

"Of course, sir." The woman replied. She pulled a pair of long loaves from the display on her chart.

Eugena reached out to take them from her, handing over most of her meager handful of coins. Though she hadn't spent much the whole day, in the back of her mind Eugena had to wonder at the fact she had purchased more things in one day than she had in her life. And all of them were for someone else. Yes, she shared in most of them, like the cupcakes, but she had done all this just to keep her promise to Rapunzel to give her the best day of her life.

Never before had she ever wanted to do things for someone else. Growing up as a poor orphan turned thief, she thought she had known the way that the world worked, the rules that the world ran by. _'Grab what you can else have someone else snatch it from you'. 'Be the cheater or the cheated'. 'The smart person guards their own back'. 'The wise person knows to trust no one'. 'Share with no one because no one will share with you'._ And the most important one, _'love is for the weak and a friend is only a leech'_.

These were the rules that Eugena had lived by. Or rather the ones that Flynn Rider had lived by. And living the life of a thief meant that she hadn't truly needed to learn any other so-called rules. Rapunzel had changed all that. She had managed to show, in only a few short days, an entirely new world to Eugena. A brand new set of rules to follow that were practically the complete opposite of what she knew. And somehow, Eugena found it hard to imagine going back to living her life as she had before.

Truth to tell, she had done a lot of things this day that she wouldn't normally do. _But that's what blondie can do to you_ , she thought as she tucked the bread in the crook of her arm. She thanked the woman as she was also handed the cheese she had asked for. She stepped away from the cart so that the next person in line could take her place. Turning around she went hand the wedge to Rapunzel, who she had expected to still be standing behind her.

Only she wasn't

Eugena blinked, coming to a stop as she saw Rapunzel caught up in the music being played by a trio of musicians. The blonde girl twirled and skipped to the tune, her massive braid spinning around with her.

And she wasn't content to dance alone. She bounded over to a little boy standing with his parents, took his hands, and pulled him in with her. Rapunzel then went around the gathering crowd, pulling more and more people into her dance. A young man in a wide brimmed hat, a young couple and an older gentleman, a young woman. They all joined in with laughs and no protests. Rapunzel led the line of dancers around the edge of the inlaid sun design of the market square as more people joined in, clapping along.

Eugena smiled, not at all surprised. She stood on the edge of it all with her arms folded. This was Rapunzel all over. If this girl could get a pub full of thugs to sing about dreams, getting the common townsfolk of Corona to break out into dance was not odd in the least. _Just amazing. I can't figure how she does that. Anyone else would get rebuffed for trying to start spontaneous dancing, but it's like no one can say no to blondie,_ she thought as she leaned a little against Maximus' side; the horse, with the chameleon riding on his saddle, having finally rejoined them.

Rapunzel spun around on the edge of the dance and waved for Eugena to join in. Eugena held up a hand and shook her head. In no danger of having her head taken off by angry thugs this time, she had no interest in joining in. Besides she didn't really know how to dance, and certainly not the first thing about taking the lead as a man. With a shrug, Rapunzel rejoined the dancers.

That refusal was not good enough for Max, apparently. The next thing Eugena knew, she was stumbling forward as the horse hip-checked her hard. The bread and cheese fell from her arms and she shot a dark glare back at the stupid animal. One of the young woman already caught up in the dance grabbed Eugena's hand, pulling her further in. Eugena could hear Max give another of those laughing whinnies.

 _Thanks Max_ , she thought sarcastically. _Of course you would want to make a completely fool out of me._

Soon, however, she did loosen up and start to enjoy herself. It turned from a dancing line to a pairs dance. Couples would spin around for a bit and then separate, the woman swinging each other around on one side and the men (and Eugena) doing the same on the other. As the figures of the dance moved and switched partners around, Eugena spotted Rapunzel reaching for her. She held out her hand for the other girl, but just as their fingers brushed, two other dancers got between them. Rapunzel was swept away by a balding pot-bellied man and Eugena ended up with a short plump woman.

Rapunzel shot her a rather sympathetic smile as they were forced to dance away from each other. Eugena made a silent vow to herself that they _would_ dance together before this was over.

The music picked up and not for the first time that day, Eugena was able to completely forget herself. Forget that she was who and what she was. Forget that she was the notorious thief Flynn Rider; that she was a female masquerading as a male; that she had been parading around the kingdom all day in the guise of a Eugene Fitzherbert. She even forgot that she was _Eugena_. As the dance changed once more to a group dance, the crowd watching growing larger, Rapunzel and several woman came together in a tight circle in the center of the square. They circled for a moment, hands together, before spreading out into a large circle. Eugena and the men took their places, making the same moves.

It switched back to a couples dance and as she spun her partner about, Eugena kept looking around for Rapunzel. For a moment, she couldn't find the other girl in the twirling mass of people. The tempo of the music picked up faster and faster. It came time for another change in partners. Eugena let go of her current partner and turned…

It was almost a shock to find she was holding Rapunzel in her arms.

Rapunzel looked at her with those wide green eyes of hers, looking just as surprised as Eugena felt, but still with a happy smile on her lips. Eugena found she couldn't look away from that bright emerald. Her heart was beating at a pace that had nothing to do with the high energy dancing. And the one thing she wanted to do so desperately, but yet didn't dare to, was to lean in and kiss the blonde girl.

The watching crowd let out a cheer as the music came to an abrupt end. A man shouted "To the boats!" Both Eugena and Rapunzel broke eye contact at the same time at that shout. Suddenly Eugena realized exactly what she had been thinking seconds ago. She let go of Rapunzel's hand and dropped her other hand from the girl's waist, embarrassed. Rapunzel must have felt a similar embarrassment, though Eugena thought it had more to do with the fact that at Rapunzel actually knew Eugena was a girl, not a boy. The blonde girl quickly took a small step back and the smile she was wearing turned a little sheepish.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"It's okay." Eugena replied, rubbing the back of her neck. "Though, I'm afraid to say that the horse made me drop our dinner." She added as they walked back over to where Maximus and Pascal were. She gave big white stallion a mock sever look as they approached and to her disgust, he didn't look in the least repentant.

"Oh, don't worry about it." The woman who owned the food-cart said. She held out two new loaves and a larger wedge of cheese. "I saw yours go flying. I think one of the dogs got it, so here. On the house."

They thanked the woman and hurriedly ate their belated dinner. Finished, Rapunzel looked around at the dispersing crowd. "I guess it's almost time for the lanterns, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Eugena replied. Just then she got an idea. The perfect place for them to watch the lanterns from. She pointed down one of the side streets that she knew lead down to the water. "Wait for me down there." Before Rapunzel could ask why, Eugena hurried off. She rushed down another street. She could only hope that there were still boats to rent somewhere in kingdom, even at this late date.

Besides the boat, she had another errand she needed to run quickly too. This was, after all, the lantern ceremony for the Lost Heir. Everyone would be sending lanterns off and it only seemed right that Rapunzel should have that chance too. For a girl who hadn't even known what they were for, the blonde had been surprisingly vehement about their purpose the night before after Eugena had told her the tale. And since she was, Eugena knew she would want to send off one for him.

Thankfully it didn't take long to find someone selling the lanterns and Eugena was able to purchase two. They were the fold up kind and she was able to tuck them into her belt-pouch for now as she went on to her next stop. She glanced at the chameleon, for Pascal had for some reason unknown to her decided to ride on her shoulder. "Don't tell blondie, please." she suggested, no long feeling odd about addressing him, "I'd like for this to be a surprise."

Pascal grinned happily and nodded.

She passed by the fruit-seller from earlier and Pascal chirruped hopefully. That was when Eugena remembered that she had wanted to get apples for her and Rapunzel.

The man was closing down his display as she approached, and luckily was willing to sell her a small sack of apples. Noticing her carefully counting the coins she had left, he asked, "Got something special planned for that girl of yours, lad?"

Not bothering to correct the man's assumption, Eugena gave a little nod. "Kind of hoping I still have enough to rent a boat." She replied with a slightly embarrassed chuckle. "And that there's still one to rent somewhere. I know I've left it a little late."

"Take mine." The man replied with a laugh. "The wife wants me to meet her and the kids up at the palace for this year's. It's the gondola with the pink flowers painted on the bow." He nodded in the direction of the docks where Eugena had sent Rapunzel.

Eugena grinned with relief. She handed over the last of her coins to cover both the apples and the use of the man's boat. "Thanks!" Sack in hand, she went down to the docks and quickly found the man's gondola. She set the sack down in the bottom and untied it from its moorings. Looking around, she spotted Rapunzel talking with Maximus. Eugena grinned as she rowed the boat towards them. "My lady, your chariot." She called out in mock gallantry, bowing at the waist.

Rapunzel turned, hiding something behind her back. Eugena almost asked what she was hiding, but then Rapunzel cut her off with a laugh and said, "That looks more like a boat to me."

"Sure, bring reality into it." Eugena scoffed good-naturally in reply as she rolled her eyes. She brought the boat up to the edge of the dock and put up the oar. She held out a hand for the blonde girl. "Be careful getting in. We don't want this thing to capsize on us." As she said that, the boat started to drift a little too far away, so Eugena looked down as she grabbed onto the dock.

"I'm good." Rapunzel said. When Eugena looked up, she was already seated on the other bench facing the prow of the gondola. Rapunzel grinned over her shoulder.

Eugena just laughed, shook her head, and let go of the dock. She picked up the oar and was dipping it into the water when a rather sad and disappointed nicker sounded from the dock. A glance over her shoulder revealed Maximus watching them float away with a forlorn expression. It was clear he was sad that he could not go with them even though the boat was far too small. Filled with generosity and figuring that it would make a decent peace-offering, Eugena reached for the sack at her feet.

Tossing it the horse she called, "Hey, Max!" The sack spilled open at Maximus' feet. Maximus looked down at the apples and then shot a suspicious glare at Eugena. Apparently he thought that they were either a bribe of some kind or were stolen. "What?" Eugena asked incredulously, "I _bought_ them." Turning around she began to row the gondola away.

Seconds later, she could hear contented crunching as Max started in on the treats. Eugena smirked. " _Most_ of them." She added a little vindictively without turning around. It was a complete and utter lie, but Eugena didn't really care as she thought, _**That's**_ _for that sucker-punch, horse!_ She could hear Max give a startled and dismayed whiney.

She glanced at Pascal to see if he was going to admonish her for tricking the white stallion, but the chameleon just looked back at her and blinked, amusement in his tiny face.

"Where are we going?" Rapunzel asked, turning slightly to look back at Eugena.

"Well," she said, holding up a hand for Pascal so she could move him from her shoulder. Turning on her bench she set the chameleon on the mooring nob of the boat just behind her. "Best day of your life? I figured you should have a decent seat." Rapunzel gave her a questioning look, but instead of explaining, Eugena just continued to row the gondola out into the bay.

By this time the sun had finished setting and the first stars were appearing overhead. Eugena brought the boat to a stop and turned it sideways so that all of them would have the clearest view. The kingdom was almost completely in shadow. Only a few of the houses had any lights in the windows. Eugena knew from experience that this was all part of the build up to the lantern ceremony. Almost every lamp, street-lantern, and candle would be put out just so that the floating lanterns would shine all the brighter in the darkness.

Eugena set down the oar across the two benches and joined Rapunzel leaning against the side facing the kingdom. _It won't be long now,_ she thought as they two girls stared up at the darkened island crowned by the magnificent palace of the king and queen of Corona.

To her surprise, there was a sudden sad sigh from the girl beside her. Eugena glanced at Rapunzel. The girl had a pensive worried look on her face that Eugena just couldn't fathom the reason for. Here was the big moment, the thing that Rapunzel had been dreaming about all her life. She should have looked just as excited as she had when they had entered the kingdom that morning.

"You okay?" she asked.

For a moment Rapunzel didn't answer. Finally she whispered, "I'm terrified."

Well, that made no sense what-so-ever. Eugena just couldn't imagine why she was terrified now of all times. It wasn't like she hadn't witnessed Rapunzel terrified before. There had been her reaction to the first sight of the thugs in the Snuggly Duckling and the bunny rabbit before that, not to mention the whole mood swing episodes before _that_. Still, all in all, she felt she could say in all truth that Rapunzel was one of the bravest people she knew.

"Why?" Eugena honestly wanted to know, for this was completely out of character for Rapunzel.

"I've been looking out a window for _eighteen_ years," Rapunzel replied. She flicked her eyes towards Eugena before turning them back up to the empty sky. Slowly she continued, "dreaming about what it might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's _not_ everything I dreamed it would be?"

Eugena couldn't help but smile a little in sympathy. She had never had a dream that had lasted as long as Rapunzel's. Maybe she didn't know exactly what it was like to stand at the brink of fulfilling such a life-long dream, but it surely wasn't as terrible as the blonde girl imagined. How could that possibly be? "It _will_ be." She assured her.

The blonde turned those anxious green eyes towards her. She didn't seem reassured in the least by Eugena's answer. "And what if it is? What do I do then?" There was a very quiet desperation in her questions.

For a brief moment, Eugena didn't know how to answer them. What could she say? What _should_ she say? What does one do when they have their deepest dream come true? How does one go on after that? She thought furiously, as hard as she could, to come up with an answer and then, like an epiphany, it came to her.

"Well," she said, looking back out across the water, "that's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream." Eugena looked back at Rapunzel again with a soft smile. And as strange as it sounded, that answer felt like the right one, for all that it seemed far too simple a thing to do. Maybe that's _why_ it felt so right, because it was that simple.

Rapunzel must have felt the same thing about it. She smiled and gave a single happy and relieved chuckle. Once more the two of them turned their eyes up to the night sky in anticipation of the spectacle to come as somewhere high above them in the city, the king and queen prepared to send off the first of the lanterns.

And as she sat there in that little boat next to Rapunzel, Eugena could almost see her old selfish dream of an island of her own fade away.

And she didn't care in the least.


	14. Under The Lanterns

**AN:** Okay, okay. I know the last couple of chapters were rather short. I really tried to plump them up. This chapter is a little different in that I included both Rapunzel's and Eugena's POVs. I originally didn't want to do that, but I had to just to make it long enough for my tastes.

* * *

Rapunzel lightly placed one of the small flowers from her elaborate braid on the surface of the water. As she and Eugena waited for the lanterns to rise, she had noticed several had fallen out into the bottom of their little boat. Collecting them up, Eugena had offered to hold them for her as Rapunzel placed them one by one on to floating in the water.

It was so very peaceful out here on the water with just the two of them (and Pascal). In a way is kind of reminded her of the night before when they sat by their little campfire. Of when she told Eugena about the magic in her hair and why she had never left the tower before and how Eugena had told her about being an orphan and wanting to be like that character in her favourite book. As much as she had enjoyed seeing and meeting all the different people in the kingdom, Rapunzel rather liked all the times it was just her and Eugena the best.

She sat up a bit out of the lounging position she had taken across her bench to select another flower from Eugena's hand. This one was a little larger and a purple-ish blue colour. Rapunzel set it down among the half-dozen other flowers already floating there. They had drifted a little and together they framed the reflection of the darkened castle that sat atop the island kingdom.

At that moment a tiny pin prick of light appeared in the water, rising up from the reflection palace.

Rapunzel stared at it for a moment and then her eyes widened. She realized the only thing that tiny dot could be. She looked up to see that it was, indeed, the very first lantern to appear. Beside her, Eugena looked up as well.

Her heart leapt in her chest and she jumped to her feet, scrambling for the front of the boat. The gondola rocked wildly due to her sudden motion, nearly sending Eugena over the edge, but Rapunzel didn't even notice. Her attention was solely fixed on that light rising into the sky. She wrapped her arms around the bowsprit, clinging to it as she tried to get the best view.

 _ **All those days, watching from the windows. All those years, outside looking in,**_ she thought as awed wonder filled her. Just like she had told Eugena moments ago, this was the moment she had been dreaming about and it was finally happening. Out here on the water, actually seeing the lanterns in person made all the difference from watching them from her window every year. _**All that time, never even knowing just how blind I've been.**_

That single lantern was soon joined by dozens, then hundreds more. All were slowly rising up above the rooftops like a warmly glowing tide. Every street in the kingdom lit up as more and more people added their lanterns. Smaller clouds of them started rising from a number of the ships at anchor in the harbour, joining the mass overhead. Soon the glow of so many lanterns blotted out the very meager starlight until the stars themselves were nigh invisible.

Rapunzel's breath caught in her throat. It was all so beautiful. Everything she had ever dreamed and hoped for and more. The joy and amazement she had always felt watching them was doubled, no tripled, by seeing them now under the night sky. Without really thinking about it, she began to hum softly. _**Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight. Now I'm here, suddenly I see. Standing here, it's, oh, so clear I'm where I'm meant to be.**_

Now that she was finally witnessing this very special event, Rapunzel just knew instinctively that her life would be forever changed by it. The conflict she had felt about the prospect of returning to her tower, whether she wanted to or wanted not to, resolved itself. She was meant to be here, _here_ among people and not hidden away. Mother had been wrong. The whole day, not a single person had looked like they wanted to cut or steal her hair. No one had even tried. She had no reason to hide.

 _ **And at last I see the light. And it's like the fog has lifted.**_ It was true. All the worries, all the things she had feared about Outside, were all washed away in the glow of these lanterns. And it felt like a weight had lifted from her, one that she had never noticed before. _**And at last I see the light. And it's like the sky is new.**_ Rapunzel almost felt new born in that very magical moment. She rested her cheek against the smooth wood of the bowsprit, never once taking her eyes from the magnificent sight before her. _**And it's warm and real and bright.**_

And very best part, the part that filled her with an ever greater joy was the fact she was sharing this with Eugena. That Eugena had made this all possible for Rapunzel. _**And the world has somehow shifted.**_ That's exactly what Eugena had done for her. Rapunzel's world had been suddenly and pleasurably turned upside down from the moment the other girl had invaded her tower. And Rapunzel loved her for it.

That thought abruptly made Rapunzel pause. _**All at once, everything looks different,**_ she thought as she realized that it was true. She _loved_ Eugena. She loved her and it was different from the love she had for her mother. Different from what she felt for Pascal and Max too. _Is this romantic love?_ She wondered. If she was being honest with herself, Rapunzel somehow knew that this moment wasn't when she first started feeling this way about the other girl.

No, it had started long before now. She couldn't really say if it had been sometime during the day, when they were exploring the kingdom together or if it had been the night before listening to Eugena's stories by the campfire. Maybe it was even as far back as that moment in the cave when Eugena and she had nearly drowned. Or perhaps even before that, when Rapunzel had only known the girl as Flynn Rider and they had just slipped out of the Snuggly Duckling via that hidden tunnel. Truthfully it could have been that first moment in the Tower when Rapunzel got her first look at the person she had whacked over the head with her frying pan. And it didn't matter, only that, man or woman, she did love Eugena.

She had never thought much about falling in love before. It was never something she ever pictured for herself, living all those years in her tower. Mother certainly had never encouraged that sort of idea. Rapunzel could remember having one book as a very little girl of fairy-tales. Most did not end happily, with someone doing something wrong and getting their comeuppance and those were the stories Mother preferred her to read. There was one or two, however, that did end happily. Where the girl or boy ends up marrying their True Love. Now in those stories the couple were a boy and a girl, not two girls. She wondered if that mattered.

 _It doesn't matter at all,_ Rapunzel thought finally, _**Now that I see you**_. But was it possible that Eugena felt the same? Could it be possible? Time and again that day, she had thought she had seen something in Eugena's expressions, actions, and reactions that hinted to that. And certainly, now that she thought about it, the townsfolk had been treating them as if they were a courting couple. Slowly she turned around to look at her.

The other girl had remained on her bench, looking back at her and holding a pair of glowing lanterns in her hands. And the smile on her lips was warm and gentle. And it was at that moment that Rapunzel remembered the satchel she had hidden under her seat when she had climbed into the boat, during Eugena's distraction with holding onto the dock. She knew now that it was time to fulfill her promise.

With a grin she sat back down across from the other girl. She chuckled softly and said, "I have something for you, too." Reaching under her bench, she brought out the satchel and held it on her lap. Eugena stared at it and Rapunzel could almost swear it was like she had completely forgotten about it. Quickly she explained, "I should have given it to you before, but I was just scared. And the thing is, I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?"

She looked up at Eugena hopefully.

To her surprise and delight when Eugena put her hand on the satchel, it was to lightly push it aside instead of take it from Rapunzel. "I'm starting to." She answered softly.

Rapunzel beamed and Eugena handed her one of the lanterns. As one the two girls sent them flying up to join the rest.

As their lanterns floated upwards, Eugena couldn't help but think of how much her life had changed in two short days. _**All those days, chasing down a daydream.**_ She thought, unknowingly echoing the song that Rapunzel had been humming before. _**All those years, living in a blur.**_

And she had been. Her whole life, even before she had become Flynn Rider, Eugena had been just chasing daydreams. Ever since she had ended up in the orphanage at the age of four. Whether it was getting a new family, escaping a life of drudgery, going off on adventures, even the very act of becoming Flynn had all been just daydreams. And after becoming Flynn, it was all just a blur of stealing and running and hiding ad infinitum. _**All that time never truly seeing things the way they were.**_ How had she never seen just how messed up the path her life had taken? Being a thief, acting selfishly, having concern for no one but herself; that was all wrong.

Eugena watched as the two lanterns floated higher and higher, circling around each other like they were dancing. Almost like the dance she and Rapunzel had never gotten to share.

 _Rapunzel_. That was it. It wasn't until she had met Rapunzel that she finally saw the truth. Flynn Rider had only been a mask she wore over her heart, not just something to disguise her gender but to hide who she _really_ was from the world. And as long as no one questioned that mask, in all likelihood she would have gone on wearing it. Rapunzel was the first person in forever that she had felt so comfortable enough around to take it off and let the real person through.

Eugena looked down from the lanterns overhead to see Rapunzel pointing at something, a single lantern floating low to the water and coming towards their boat. As the blonde girl leaned far over the side of the gondola reaching for it, Eugena couldn't help but think, _**Now she's here, shining in the starlight. Now she's here, suddenly I know.**_

If she had never climbed Rapunzel's tower, if they had never been trapped and nearly drowned in that cave, if they had never ended up in this moment on this boat right now, Flynn Rider would have remained and Eugena Fitzherbert forever buried. And she could see now what a terrible thing that could have been.

She suddenly remembered the 'conversation' she had had with herself the night before in the woods, when she had gone for more firewood. That other part of her had been right. She _was_ in love with Rapunzel. And for the first time since she had realized it, she didn't care. She _wanted_ to be in love with her. She didn't care that it was odd for two women to be in love. Heck, the whole day the townsfolk had pretty much been assuming that she was male and the two of them were a couple. Surely they could go on acting as if that assumption was true. She could be _Eugene_ Fitzherbert instead. Surely that wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Rapunzel caught the edge of the sun painted lantern with her fingertips and drew back to her seat, boosting it back into the air at the same time. In that moment Eugena came to a decision and chose to throw caution to the wind. _**If she's here, it's crystal clear. I'm where I'm meant to go!**_

It was like a revelation. It was like she had been searching for her place in the world for far too long without even realizing it. Eugena had thought she knew what her place was. Or rather the place she was headed for. Now though, she knew better. There was only one place she truly belonged. And it was right in front of her. It was clear now to Eugena. Her life was to be with Rapunzel, at the blonde girl's side, for as long as she would have her.

With great daring she took Rapunzel's hand in hers. The girl looked down at the grasp for a moment, but when she looked up at Eugena, there was a look of mixed surprise, hope, and, yes, love in her green eyes too. Eugena felt her heart do flip flops with joy at seeing that.

Rapunzel took her other hand and at the same time they sang " _ **And at last I see the light.**_ "

" _ **And it's like the fog has lifted.**_ " Eugena added alone. That's exactly what this moment felt like. The fog of the past, from running and hiding not just in reality but from her own feelings, _had_ lifted. The weight of all that was gone. Eugena felt free and light, like she was one of the lanterns hovering in the air around them.

" _ **And at last I see the light.**_ " They repeated and this time it was Rapunzel who had something to add as she sang " _ **And it's like the sky is new.**_ "

Eugena wondered if Rapunzel knew, if she guessed, how true that was for Eugena. Not just the sky, but the whole world suddenly felt new to her. She was looking at world through new eyes now. Eyes unclouded by greed and arrogance. Now things were clear and right before her was the person who had made it all possible.

She did her best to convey all that as once more she and Rapunzel sang in harmony, " _ **And it's warm and real and bright. And the world has somehow shifted.**_ "

The words she had spoken to Rapunzel moments ago, when the blonde girl had worried so much about how _she_ would feel about the lanterns once she saw them, came back. _You get to go find a new dream_. In this moment of change, in revelation, in realization and acceptance, here in this boat surrounded by the hundreds of lanterns for the Lost Heir, Eugena realized what her new dream, her _real_ dream actually was.

To be with Rapunzel. Forever.

The crown didn't matter anymore. That island, a castle of her very own no longer mattered. She would gladly live the life of a poor peasant, living in a small cottage in a village far away where no one knew about Flynn Rider, in a hut hidden away in the forest, heck even in Rapunzel's tower, as long as the two of them could stay together. For a tiny brief instant she tried to imagine what that kind of life would be like. How she and Rapunzel would support themselves. What they would need to do to protect the power of Rapunzel's hair.

" _ **All at once, everything looks different now that I see you.**_ " As she stared into those beautiful, wonderful green eyes, Eugena found she had a hard time looking away. Not that she wanted to. Judging by the way Rapunzel was looking at her it was the same for the other girl. Unconsciously, Eugena gently drew their joined hands towards her and leaned in slowly.

In a very distant part in the very very back corner of her mind, she had to wonder what the frog-chameleon was thinking about all this. Did Pascal approve of her making moves on Rapunzel? Did he disapprove? Was he embarrassed? Why on _earth_ was she concerned about this? Maybe it was because the little reptile was rather important to Rapunzel. Maybe it was because she didn't want to think about how Rapunzel's mother would think of all this. Rapunzel might be a little naïve about the greater world outside her tower and couldn't really know how society might view their budding relationship, but it was likely the mother wasn't and could.

Eugena was no fool. Even though she had never been attracted to any other woman before, or anyone for that matter, she knew that relationships like theirs were general looked down upon if not outright hated. It was different from the norm and anything that was different usually was looked at with suspicion. But as long as she wore the mask of Eugene in public, she didn't think they needed to worry about that.

" _ **Now that I…**_ " And here under the warm glow of the lanterns, none of that had to matter. Out here with just Rapunzel (and Pascal) no one had to know the truth. _I don't care. She doesn't care. Why not go for it?_ She thought. Eugena released her hold on one of Rapunzel's hands to lightly brush back a bit of hair that had come loose from the blonde's elaborate braid. " _ **…see you.**_ "

That small gesture led both girls to lean closer to each other. Eugena slowly cupped the back of Rapunzel's neck under the braid, the long locks smooth and soft as silk. Rapunzel's eyes drifted closed and her head tilted just a bit to the side. Eugena started to close the gap between them. As her eyes also drifted closed, all she could think of was that this had to be the most perfect moment of her life.

But it was not meant to be.

Just inches away from completing their first real kiss, something one the far shore caught Eugena's eye.


	15. A Horrible Mistake

**AN:** Gah! That last chapter was so hard to write!

I just want to put a thank you in for those who have reviewed my other one-shot fic 'In the Eyes of the Beholder': _dreamer 3097_ and _butterscones._

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Eugena blinked and lifted her head a little.

An ominous green light shone from the distant shoreline. An eerie light so very different from the warm golden glow of the lanterns still floating around them. And standing in that light, holding the lantern casting it, two figures. Two very familiar figures. Two figures that she had last seen the day before right before the dam collapsed and had hoped to never see again.

The Stabbington Brothers.

But the strange thing was they weren't doing anything. Eugena squinted a little, trying to figure out what was going on. But the Stabbingtons only stood there silently. Watching. Eugena could practically feel the weight of their regard. And for some strange bizarre reason she could _not_ fathom, it wasn't a hostile regard. It wasn't a pleasant one, but not as fully hostile as she would have expected considering had basically left them to hang. Especially considering the way they had looked at her at the dam.

A sinking feeling settled in Eugena's gut. Something was wrong about all this. Something very wrong. And she couldn't figure out what it was. _Why_ were they _only_ watching her? They should have been trying something to get at her. Admittedly she was probably safe on a boat in the middle of the bay, but still.

After a brief moment, the two men slowly turned and walked off behind a set of large boulders.

"Is everything okay?" Rapunzel's voice broke in, snapping through her preoccupation. The blonde girl turned in her seat to see what had distracted Eugena as such a moment, but already the Stabbingtons were out of sight.

"Huh?" Eugena yanked her gaze back to Rapunzel and her heart seized in realization. The Stabbington Brothers weren't just watching her. They were watching the two of them.

And that suddenly terrified Eugena.

Flynn Rider had never shown actual interest in any one. Flirted, oh yes, but that was always done in an empty meaningless way. Flynn didn't care about people. Flynn used people. As a consequence, no person could be used to manipulate Flynn Rider. No one could be used to hurt Flynn. But Eugena was not Flynn Rider any more. Eugena had someone she cared for. She had someone who was important to her. Someone she had to _protect_ from people like the Stabbingtons.

Rapunzel was still looking at her with a confused and concerned expression. Eugena knew she needed to say something, anything, to reassure the other girl. But she didn't dare tell the truth. She gave a nervous, breathless chuckle and took Rapunzel's hand once more, not even knowing when she had let go of it in the first place. "Oh, yes. Yes, of course. I just…" Her eyes slowly drifted to the worn leather satchel sitting on the bench at Rapunzel's side. Just the sight of it was an accusation. A reminder of all the bad things she had done in her life. The things she now regretted. And she knew what she had to do.

She had to go hand it over to the Stabbingtons.

Eugena knew what the real world was like. She knew the dangers that could befall a female. That was one of the many reasons she had disguised herself as a man for so many years. It was safer that way, especially in the criminal world. Rapunzel didn't know any of that though. She didn't know the gritty details. Ever since she had left her tower, Rapunzel had only seen the good in the world. The closest _she_ had come to meeting 'dangerous' and 'bad' people had been the thugs from the Snuggly Duckling and, despite _their_ fearsome appearances, they were about as dangerous as that rabbit she and Eugena had encountered. In fact, Eugena was pretty sure the rabbit was the greater danger.

The Stabbington Brothers were a whole different kettle of fish entirely. They _were_ just the kind of thugs you had to be wary of.

With a heavy heart, she picked up the oar and began to paddle slowly towards the beach.

As she did so, she avoided meeting Rapunzel's eyes. Every time the blonde girl tried catch her gaze, Eugena looked away, either focusing on the far shoreline or at the paddle in her hands. Neither of them spoke. Rapunzel was likely still confused by this sudden change in mood and Eugena just didn't dare to.

A thin mist started to rise up from the water. There was a soft grinding crunch as the bottom of the little gondola grounded against the rocky sand of the little beach. Eugena jumped out, ignoring the cold water sloshing around her boots, and pulled the boat as far up on the shore as she could so that it couldn't float away.

"I'm sorry. Everything's fine." she said as she went around to the side of the boat. It was a lie and the words sounded hollow even to her ears. Eugena picked up satchel, tucking it in the crook of one arm. That was the moment she finally met Rapunzel's eyes once more, her own begging Rapunzel to believe her. "There's just something I have to take care of."

Rapunzel looked from Eugena's face to the satchel and then back up at her again. "Okay." She replied timidly. The smile she gave her was just as timid and it made Eugena's insides writhe in guilt. Just like Eugena's words, this was a lie too. Everything _wasn't_ fine and Rapunzel was _not_ okay with what was going on.

Eugena tried to smile back, but it felt far too thin and fake. She took a few steps backwards. And with each step, her insides twisted just a little more. She didn't want to do this. She did not want to just walk away, leaving Rapunzel here while she faced the Stabbingtons alone. But she didn't dare allow Rapunzel to come with her. So she had no choice. It was do this or be forever looking over her shoulder for them. "I'll be right back." Eugena put as much reassurance as she could into that sentence. She glanced in the direction of the rocks along the beach and then back at Rapunzel.

She swallowed hard even though her mouth had gone dry. Giving a tiny miniscule nod, Eugena did the hardest then she had ever done in her life.

She turned her back and walked away.

In a way, Eugena almost hoped that Rapunzel would say something, anything, to call her back. That the other girl would question what was going on and demand answers. At the same time, she prayed that she wouldn't. For if Rapunzel did, Eugena wasn't sure she could hold against that. She would crumble and confess everything.

But as sand and rocks shifted under her feet and the mist thickened into a dense obscuring fog, all she heard was Rapunzel softly tell her chameleon, "It's all right, Pascal." And she could feel both of them staring at her back as she moved further away.

It wasn't until the rising fog surrounded her, blanking everything else out that Eugena dared to stop and look back. But now there was nothing to see, not even vague shapes. She almost felt grateful for that. She drew in a deep shuddering breath and clutched the satchel tight against her chest. She could feel the shape of the Lost Heir's cornet inside. Squeezing her eyes tight against the burning of tears, Eugena wondered again what on earth she was doing.

 _What are you_ _ **doing**_ _!?_ Screamed that other part of her, the part she thought of as her Flynn Rider self. _She's probably thinking you just took that crown and left her! Are you crazy?_

"I have to do this." She whispered through gritted teeth in an almost silent voice.

 _No, what you_ _ **have**_ _to do is go back there, explain things. Dump the crown and run. Go into hiding._ Almost, for one brief moment she considered that. What if she and Rapunzel did that instead? Rapunzel's tower _was_ well hidden. There was the chance that the Stabbingtons would never find it. Surely if they explained things to Rapunzel's mother, she might let Eugena stay with them. But even as she thought about it, there was _still_ the chance that the brothers _would_ find the tower. She couldn't take that risk. Instead of answering out loud, she just shook her head violently. The voice wasn't finished and turned almost pleading. _**Anything**_ _but walk into that lion's den!_

"I _have_ to do this." She repeated, still in that bare whisper voice. As much as she wanted to, hiding wasn't the answer. "They deliberately made sure I saw them. It was a _message_." Eugena knew with every fibre of her being that was a fact. The Stabbingtons' message was loud and clear.

" _No matter where you go, we_ _ **will**_ _find you until we get what we are owed."_

"I _have_ to do _this_." Her voice cracked on the third repetition. She scrubbed fiercely at her eyes with the back of one hand. Once she was sure that the tears were gone, or at least held back for the moment, she looked up at the bright hazy circle that was the full moon. Suddenly it no longer seemed strange that she was in essence talking to a part of her own personality. "This is the only way to get them forever off my back. The only way to keep blondie safe. The only way to be _free_. But I can't do this as myself. I need to put on your mask just once more. So, _please_ , shut up and _help_ me."

The Flynn part was oddly silent for a long moment. Then there was that sensation that she had had back in the forest when she had gone for firewood. A feeling that 'Flynn' was smirking at her. _You really_ _ **do**_ _love that girl. All right. Once more, for old time's sake. Let's show these guys the_ _ **real**_ _Flynn Rider_.

Eugena let out the shaky breath she hadn't even realized that she had been holding. She took another deep breath. And another. And another. With each one, she could almost feel the old Flynn Rider mask slip back into place. Eugena needed that mask. Only Flynn Rider could charm a way out of this mess.

Feeling a little more confident, Flynn Rider stepped through some bushes and looked around. Just beyond where she had come out Stabby One sat on a rock, sharpening a bit of wood into a stake. A small sailboat was moored nearby. Flynn ignored the bad feeling she got at the fact that Stabby Two was nowhere in sight. Instead, Flynn walked up to Stabby One and in her most confident voice, said, "Ah! There you are! I've been searching everywhere for you guys since we got separated. Hey, the sideburns are coming in nice, huh? Got to be excited about that."

The man just shaved off another curl of wood from the stake and silently glanced out of the corner of his eye at Flynn.

Flynn felt her mask slip just a little as she tried to hold a jovial grin. This was not a good sign. Self-consciously she cleared her throat and held up the satchel in both hands. "Anyhow, just wanted to say I shouldn't have split. The crown is _all_ yours." She tossed the satchel at Stabby One's feet. The leather bag fell open as it hit the ground the cornet spilled half way out onto the pebbles that covered this part of the shoreline. Flynn started to turn away as she continued, "I'll miss you, but I think it's for the…" She gasped softly in surprise and no little fear as she ran right into Stabby Two, who had managed to come up behind her without her noticing. Flynn's mask slipped even further as she trailed off. "…best."

The one-eyed brother just loomed over her wearing a sinister expression.

"Holding out on us _again_ , eh, Rider?" Stabby One said in a curiously nonchalant tone. She could hear the hunting knife slice through wood a few more times. Flynn turned, the dread she had been feeling ever since she had spotted these two men on the beach bursting into full force once more.

 _Holding out on them? What are they talking about? I've given over the crown, what else could I be 'holding out'? Unless…_ With that one word her heart stopped and the Flynn mask was shattered. "What?" Eugena asked, hoping beyond hope that they were not talking about what she was suspecting they were.

Stabby One stood up and flipped the knife in his hand. "We heard you found something. Something…" The knife was flung point first into the ground and the man kicked aside the crown as he stepped towards Eugena. "… _much_ more valuable than a _crown_."

Eugena could feel the blood drain from her face as she looked up at him. Suddenly she realized that she had just made a _horrible_ mistake in coming. She should have trusted her instincts, trusted that Flynn part of her. She should have listened to that part, taken Rapunzel, and run far far way.

"We want _her_ instead." The red-haired brute finished, a nasty malicious grin flashing briefly across his brutish features.

 _They know. They_ _ **know**_ _! Oh god what have I done? They know about Rapunzel's hair!_ Eugena's eyes widened. She couldn't explain how she knew this, how when Stabby One had said that he didn't mean that they wanted Rapunzel for the usual reasons, but because they knew all about the healing magic in her hair. She didn't know _how_ they had learned of it except they must have been watching the two of them the night before. _But why are they still treating you like Flynn Rider?_ Asked a very tiny part of her, but Eugena was too caught up in the wave of fear to hear it.

Right on the heels of that fear came a sudden determination. Her hands clenched into fists and her mouth firmed. "No." Eugena Fitzherbert told the Stabbington Brothers. "No!"

She made a move to leave, to duck around the two huge men flanking her on either side, to run back along the beach to Rapunzel, but it was too late. Stabby Two grabbed a hold of her first. Before she could do anything to stop them, she was pinned with her back against the one-eyed man's chest, one of his arms wrapped around her torso to hold her arms down. The man's other hand, with a rag soaked in some kind of liquid, clamped down over her nose and mouth.

Eugena hadn't given up though. She fought back as best she could, kicking her heels at Stabby Two's legs, scrabbling at his arm trying to scratch or even pinch hard enough to get him to let go. It wasn't working however. She couldn't get a solid enough kick in and the man's leather clothing was armour enough against Eugena's nails. It didn't help that she was forced to hold her breath either. The liquid the rag had been soaked with had a sickly sweet odour to it that Eugena was sure was some kind of drug when she had gotten a whiff of it.

"It's taking too long." Stabby Two rumbled after a few moments and in any other situation Eugena would have been shocked to hear the man speak. At the moment, she was too busy glaring at his brother and fighting for her life.

Stabby One was returning her glare with the same sort of look a bored child watched an insect crawling by. "Bastard's probably holding his breath. Give him some encouragement." He suggested as he turned and walked over to the rock he had been sitting on earlier. In response to that, the arm wrapped around her tightened, squeezing until the air was forced out of Eugena's lungs.

When Stabby Two's hold loosened a little, Eugena had no choice but to gulp in air through that rag. She was right about the liquid being a drug. Instantly her head began to swim, her arms and legs felt sluggish, and her vison started to darken. She now had to struggle against the stupor from whatever that drug was. So she clenched her fists as hard as she could, digging her nails into her palms. She also tried to breathe as shallowly as possible to limit the amount she breathed in. It did little good.

Stabby One stood in front of her again, holding the crown in one hand and flipping the hunting knife in the other. Eugena continued to glare at him through eyelids she had to force to remain open. "Still going to be stubborn, eh? Well then, I guess it's time for plan B." he said. A distinctly detached part of her suddenly wondered if he was about to use that blade on her. "Nighty-night, Rider."

Even if she had been at her best, she wouldn't have been able to react fast enough to what happened next. In the drug-induced haze, she had no chance at all. The man lashed out with one fist and slammed not the blade but the hilt of the knife into Eugena's temple.

As she forced into unconsciousness, the last thought she had was, _Run… Run Rapunzel…_

And then nothing.

Sometime later there was the sound of wet wood creaking, a scraping sound, and then a man's voice said, "Look! The crown!"

"Rapunzel…" Eugena murmured groggily as she came to. For one moment, her mind was as fuzzy as it usually was upon first wake-up, then memory hit like a ton of bricks. The boat, the lanterns, the almost-kiss. The beach, the Stabbingtons. The crown. Rapunzel. For once in her life, Eugena came awake all at once without the help of Pascal's tongue in her ear or Maximus' teeth on her boot. And only one thought was on her mind. "Rapunzel!" she cried, looking around wildly.

Only then did she notice that she was once again tied up. Only this time it wasn't Rapunzel's hair binding her, but coarse hemp ropes. Ropes that bit into her skin as she pulled at them. She had been tied standing with her back against a post and her hands were bound to the wheel of the small sailboat. And the Lost Heir's cornet had been tied to her hand.

She looked up at the sound of running footsteps, hoping that someone was coming to help her so that she could go find Rapunzel again.

But instead of some helpful townsfolk, it was a group of four Guards. And by the looks on their faces, they were _not_ going to let her go free.

That didn't stop Eugena from protesting. "No, no, no, no! Wait! Wait, guys! Guys!"

The Guards, of course, weren't listening. One of the Guards took possession of the crown as they cut the ropes from Eugena's hands. Not that Eugena fought to keep it. She had practically dropping it like a hot rock. They untied her from the post and while two Guards held onto her arms tightly, the other two used that coarse rope to tie her hands behind her back. Only then did they haul her out of the boat.

Eugena struggled to look back at the far shore, but, between the remaining fuzziness from the drug and the four Guards holding onto her, she was barely able to twist around. Desperate, she yelled " _RAPUNZEL!_ "

"That's enough out of you, Rider." One of the Guards snapped, cuffing Eugena across the side of the head.

Unfortunately for her, he happened to cuff her in the same place that the Stabbingtons had hit with the hilt of that knife. She bit back a cry of pain as stars splayed behind her eyes. This blow didn't have nearly the power behind it as the previous one, but it was enough to leave her momentarily stunned. That was all the Guards needed. With shoves and kicks, they dragged her away from the docks and towards the one place she had been avoiding ever since she first started down her criminal career path.

Corona's gaol.


	16. Betrayal

**AN:** Just in case anyone was wondering, I did not misspell the word gaol. It's an alternate spelling of the word jail. Also I kind of forgot to post this chapter last week. I'll post another chapter on Friday to make up.

* * *

Rapunzel looked down at the little flag, lightly tracing a finger over the edges of the gold sun shape. She wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't sure what to think. Moments ago, everything had been wonderful. Perfect even. She had finally seen the lanterns and Eugena had even sung with her. She was sure that she and Eugena had been about to share their first kiss. But then all of a sudden, all those happy warm feelings had vanished when the other girl had pulled back. What had gone wrong?

 _Is it me? Was I wrong about us? Did I freak her out?_ That didn't really seem possible. Eugena had been the one to take Rapunzel's hand. It was Eugena who had drawn her in for that kiss. It had been Eugena's hand brushing back her hair and cupping her head.

And it was Eugena who had taken the satchel and left.

From her shoulder, Pascal made another worried chirrup. Rapunzel sighed and tucked the flag into the pocket of her dress. "She said she'd be right back. She _said_ she would." She said as she glanced at her dearest friend. She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince of that, Pascal or herself. She couldn't help but remember Mother's words.

" _THIS is why he's here. Don't let him deceive you. Give it to him, watch, you'll see!"_

She had given Eugena back the crown and she had pushed it aside. Rapunzel had felt so happy that she didn't want it anymore. But then she _had_ taken it and walked away. Why? Rapunzel didn't have an answer. _Maybe she's only taking it somewhere so that it can be given back to the king and queen,_ she thought. Eugena probably didn't dare take it back herself, what with all those Guards wanting to catch her. But it was possible that she knew of a safe place she could leave it for someone else to find and return for her.

Rapunzel looked off in the direction other girl had gone. Still no sign of Eugena, only fog. Rapunzel finally swung her legs over the side of the boat and stood up. The cold sand of the beach was a bit of a shock against her bare feet. She paid it no mind as she went to the prow of the little gondola and loosely wrapped her hands around the bowsprit. Unease settled in her gut. The longer she stood there waiting for Eugena to come back, the more doubt started to creep in. And the last thing she wanted was to doubt Eugena's integrity.

Restlessly Rapunzel scanned the rocks and what little of the shoreline she could see through the fog.

Finally the indistinct figure of a person walking out between two of the large rocks resolved out of the mists. There was only one person that could be. Rapunzel let out a relieved breath and smiled. "I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me." She said breathlessly, feeling a great deal sheepish for ever doubting Eugena.

She fully expected the other girl to laugh and make some Flynn-like quip about not trusting her.

What she got was anything but that.

The figure split into two and instead of the girl Rapunzel had come to love, the two brutish redheads that Eugena had said didn't like her walked up. Fear blossomed inside Rapunzel as she stared at them. A part of her screamed to run, but she couldn't make herself move.

"He did." The one in green said, grinning down at her with crooked yellow teeth. The other man, in black, only glowered silently. Rapunzel could only guess that they were related, given the similar appearances.

"What?" she asked and then thought, _No. It's not true. It can't be true._ With determination, she stood straight and squared her shoulders. "No. S-He wouldn't."

The man in green lifted a hand and waved it out at the water. In a smug tone he replied, "See for yourself."

Slowly Rapunzel turned, not really wanting to look away from these two. If Eugena didn't trust these men, it was probably for a very good reason. Still, almost unwillingly, her eyes were drawn to small sailboat out on the water. A sailboat that was sailing away. A sailboat that had a familiar figure standing at the helm.

"Eugena?" Rapunzel whispered, not wanting to believe her eyes. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. She took a few steps forward until she reached the very edge of the water. Little wavelets lapped at her toes as she cried, "Eugene!"

There was no reaction from the girl on the boat at the sound of her new fake name. Not a twitch. Not a turn of the head. Not even a mocking backwards wave. Nothing at all. The little sailboat just continued on its path towards the distant island.

Eugena _was_ sailing away from her. She was _leaving._ She _had_ taken the crown and left. Their time together had meant _nothing_. She had played Rapunzel like a fool. Eugena Fitzherbert was no better than the Flynn Rider she had pretended to be. Or maybe it was Eugena Fitzherbert that was the fake identity and Flynn Rider was who she was all along.

A tiny voice inside her cried otherwise, but Rapunzel wasn't listening.

In her shock, she had completely forgotten the two men standing behind her. That is until the talkative one brushed his fingers across the back of her head. A shiver went down her spine and Rapunzel could feel Pascal crawl under her braid to hide.

"Fair trade." The man said. "A crown for the girl with the magic hair."

Rapunzel spun around, eyes wide. They knew. They knew about her hair. Eugena had _told_ them! Betrayal heaped on top of betrayal. She had trusted the other girl with the secret of her hair and Eugena had betrayed that trust. She had trusted her to come back and she hadn't. She had trusted Eugena with her heart and the other girl had broken it.

The first man shot a nasty grin at the second "How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?" He asked as he pulled out a large burlap sack. His partner said nothing as they advanced on Rapunzel.

She held up her hands as she backed away. "No. Please." She begged. "No!" Neither one gave any sign of being moved by her pleas. Rapunzel did the only thing she could.

She ran.

Up the beach, towards the rocks. Her mind in a panic, she didn't even realize that she was headed in the same direction that Eugena had gone, that these two had come from. If she had been able to think, she might have had the idea to try going for the bridge leading to Corona. That surely someone there could help her, protect her from these thugs. But in that terrifying moment, all she cared about was to just _get away_.

"No!" she cried again as she stumbled, stubbing her bare feet on the rocks. She ignored the sting of pain and hiked up her skirt to make running easier. She kept glancing over her shoulder to see if the two men were still following. They were, with identical looks of the Hunter. And she was their Prey. Fear clogged Rapunzel's throat and she increased her pace.

She made it to the rocks. She ran between the two boulders and around the corner. Sure that they were right behind her, Rapunzel vaulted over a driftwood log without slowing down. Then, like a nightmare, something caught her hair, stopping her short. She screamed. In a blind panic, she grabbed onto the braid and just began to pull, praying that it would come free before those men caught up with her. Any second now they would be right on top of her and…

Two hard thumps with matching male grunts sounded.

Rapunzel stopped her struggle. For one brief moment she wondered if Eugena had actually returned.

But then Mother called out, "Rapunzel!"

Rapunzel could hardly believe her ears. "Mother?" she whispered in query, slowly walking back around the corner. There standing on the beach between the two prone bodies of the men was indeed her mother, holding a thick tree branch. It was clear that Mother had used that branch to take down the two men much like Rapunzel had taken down Eugena with her frying pan back in the tower.

Mother stood panting for a moment and then spotted Rapunzel. She dropped the branch. "Oh, my precious girl!" she cried in relief, clasping her hands together.

Biting back a sob, Rapunzel ran to her mother. She was so glad to see her. So happy that Mother wasn't still angry and had actually been there to save her. "Mother…"

"Are you all right?" Mother asked, hugging Rapunzel tightly. She ran a hand over Rapunzel's hair before pulling back to look at her face. "Are you hurt?" Mother lifted Rapunzel's chin and cupped her face as she asked the second question.

"Mother, how did you…" Rapunzel started to ask. She couldn't figure out how Mother had known she was in danger.

Mother didn't even wait for her to finish the question. "I was so worried about you, dear." She explained as she brushed back that loose bit of Rapunzel's hair. "So I followed you. And I saw them _attack_ you and…" She quickly hugged Rapunzel tightly. Then, just as quickly, she let go and took Rapunzel's hand. "Oh, my. Let's go. Let's go before they come to!"

As Mother started to pull her towards the forest, Rapunzel paused. She let her hand slip from Mother's and she turned back to the water. As the last few of the floating lanterns drifted down and were put out by the water, Rapunzel could just make out Eugena's boat.

It hadn't once changed course.

There was no sign that even once Eugena had heard the commotion, no sign at all that she had been bothered by it. Absolutely no sign that she had ever turned around. It felt like a great hand had taken Rapunzel's heart and was squeezing it tightly. It felt like she couldn't breathe. Her mind was caught up with only one thought. Eugena had left. _She left me. She_ _ **left**_ _me. Just like…_

Again Mother's words from the night before rang in her head. _"Trust me, my dear,_ _ **that's**_ _how fast he'll leave you."_

 _Just like Mother said she would_. Rapunzel thought as tears filled her eyes. It seemed that Eugena's, no; _Flynn's_ island dream _was_ all she cared about after all. Friendship, comradery, love, none of that apparently mattered. Again, that tiny voice, the one that maybe had been the one to that had come up with the idea of using Flynn as her guide to the lanterns, cried out otherwise. She ignored it. _Face it Rapunzel, she never loved you. She sold you out the first chance she got. Only Mother loves you. Only Mother…_

Slowly, as the boat carrying the treacherous Flynn Rider, the one who had stolen her heart, sailed further and further away, Rapunzel turned to face her mother.

Mother was standing just inside the forest verge, holding her green-glass lantern. She looked old and tired, older than Rapunzel had ever seen her. And yet, _she_ had been the one to save Rapunzel. Taking on two huge brutes with only a tree branch, just to save her daughter. Mother set down the lantern and opened her arms to Rapunzel silently, compassion and understanding in her gaze.

Rapunzel hesitated for only a brief second before throwing herself into her mother's caring embrace. Sobbing, she whispered, "You were right, Mother. You were right about everything." Never again would she doubt Mother's advice. Never again would she let her own dreams, her delusions lead her astray.

"I know, darling." Mother replied, stroking Rapunzel's head. "I know."

As she bent down the pick up the lantern again, Rapunzel refused to move her arms from around Mother's shoulders. Her mother didn't rebuke her though, just stooped awkwardly for the lantern, picked it up and turned, all while her heart-broken daughter clung to her. Mother switched the lantern from her left hand to her right, put her free arm around Rapunzel, and held up the lantern to light their way home.

The long walk back to the tower was mostly silent, broken only by Rapunzel's quiet weeping. In between crying, Rapunzel haltingly told Mother everything. Everything from the moment Flynn had climbed in her window, the side trip to the Snuggly Duckling, the day they spent together in the kingdom. Everything. She even revealed Flynn's true gender, the fact that she was actually a girl.

If she was in a better frame of mind, she might have noticed Mother did not seem all that shocked about this revelation. She, in fact, sounded almost _pleased_ as she merely told Rapunzel that this was yet another reason she shouldn't have put her trust in Flynn. As it was, Rapunzel was too caught up in her grief to notice.

The only things she didn't tell were Pascal's presence and the little flag in her pocket. She didn't tell Mother about Pascal because he was her best friend and she could not betray him like Flynn had her. As for the flag, she simply forgot about it.

Once they reached the tower, Rapunzel couldn't say exactly how she and Mother got back inside. Mired in the grief and pain of a broken heart, she had been paying very little attention to her surroundings. It was only when she found herself standing in in the main room once more that she took any interest in where she was. The sight of the familiar surroundings was not at all comforting, however. Everywhere she looked, little things would remind her of Flynn. The chair Rapunzel had tied her to. The wardrobe she had locked her in. The painting of the lanterns above the fireplace. She couldn't bear it. Without saying a word, without even looking in Mother's direction, Rapunzel slowly made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. At least there would have no reminders.

The first thing she did was throw herself onto her bed. Curling up on her side, Rapunzel hugged her pillow against her chest. More tears were welling up in her eyes and she was so tired of crying over Flynn's betrayal. She buried her face against the smooth fabric.

Pascal finally was able to come out of his hiding place under her braid. He crooned comfortingly, but Rapunzel didn't respond. A moment later, she felt the chameleon crawl down her side from her shoulder to her hip. Dully Rapunzel turned her head to see what her friend was up to. Pascal was pulling something from the pocket of her dress.

Something a deep purple in colour.

It took a moment for Rapunzel to remember that it was the flag Flynn had bought her. Rapunzel sat up suddenly, causing Pascal to fall backwards onto the bedspread. The flag fell out with him, completely covering the chameleon. Rapunzel picked it up.

" _Call it a birthday gift. So you always have something to remember this day by."_

She lightly traced a finger around the edge of golden sun, following the line of loose stiches that had been used to attach the gold felt to the purple cotton. Those words sounded in her mind just as if Flynn was there saying them. It had seemed so innocent, so _sweet_ when it had been given to her. The gift of this little flag had meant _so_ much to Rapunzel. Flynn had said that it was to help cheer her up and Rapunzel had truly believed her. To know that it had all been a trick hurt so much.

 _What if it wasn't, though?_ That treacherous voice that had convinced her to trust Flynn whispered. Rapunzel bit her lip, she really didn't want listen to that voice anymore. If she hadn't listened to it in the first place, she wouldn't hurt so much right now. The voice wasn't finished though. _What if it wasn't what you thought? It could have been those men who were tricking you instead of Eugena?_

But if that were true, why hadn't Flynn reacted when she had called out to her? She had done _nothing_. And it wouldn't have been the first the other girl had tricked her, or at least tried to. Rapunzel couldn't help but remember all the times Flynn had tried to trick her. Taking her to the Snuggly Duckling. That speech about understanding the conflict Rapunzel had gone through after leaving her tower the first time. That ridiculous Smolder. _But those were when she was Flynn. When did she ever trick you as_ _ **Eugena**_ _?_ the voice asked.

But as much as that voice wanted to convince her otherwise, Rapunzel could clearly remember the way Eugena had looked that moment in the boat. The secretive look in her eyes when she had picked up the satchel. The promise to come back.

The promise she had broken.

And because of that broken promise, Rapunzel had done something she had never done before. She had broken _her_ promise to Maximus. The promise to get the crown back to him. But Flynn had walked off with the satchel before she could talk the other girl around to returning it.

Rapunzel's mouth twisted at that thought. No, she'd never listen to that voice again. And she never wanted to even look at this flag again. All that this flag would do is forever remind her of the best and worst day of her life. She jumped to her feet and looked around for her sewing basket. She'd cut it up and destroy it, just like Eugena had destroyed her faith and trust.

But before she could do any such thing, the curtain covering the doorway to her room flew open. Mother stood there with a basket over one arm. Instinctively, Rapunzel crumpled the flag into the palm of one hand, hiding it from Mother.

"Sit down Rapunzel." Mother said. "Let's go those silly flowers out of your hair before they do damage."

Rapunzel lifted her free hand to brush back that loose lock of hair as Mother sat down on her bed. This wonderful braid that those adorable little girls had worked hard on for her. It was to be expected that it would have to be taken down again. After all, she would need the full length so Mother could once more get in and out of the tower. But she had not expected to lose it so soon after returning home.

Mother looked up at her and raised an expectant eyebrow.

Rapunzel's shoulders slumped and she nodded silently. She sat down on the end of her bed and folded her hands in her lap, still keeping the flag hidden.


	17. Facing The Noose

**AN:** You may have noticed that I had Rapunzel switch back and forth with thinking of Eugena as Eugena and as Flynn. In my mind, that was to show some of the conflict she was going through after the betrayal

* * *

When the Guards had thrown her into one of the empty cells of the gaol they had not been gentle about it. They had just cut the ropes binding her hands and shoved her in. Eugena ended up falling roughly to her hands and knees, bruising them.

Not surprisingly, there had been no interrogation needed. She had been caught 'red-handed' after all. And what could she possibly say in her defence? That she wasn't Flynn Rider anymore? That she was a girl? That they had to let her go so she could save a girl from a tower who had magic hair from two horrible men who were going to use and abuse the poor thing? The Guards would never believe her even if she did try to tell them. It would be completely laughable to them that the Great Flynn Rider was anything other than what he seemed to them, that he would ever have someone he cared for more than himself.

No, Eugena knew she was likely to never see the light of day again. All that was left now was her trial and inevitable execution.

And as for Rapunzel, she had failed the blonde girl. She had failed in her promise to return. She had failed in her promise to give her the best day of her life by ruining it. And worst of all, she failed in her initial promise in returning her safely home again.

It was to be the longest night of Eugena's life.

She spent most of it sitting on the floor of her cell, huddled against one corner with her knees drawn up and hands clasped over them, just staring blankly at the far wall. Occasionally a Guard would walk by on patrol. At one point, a tray was shoved towards her, with the slop that served as food on it. Eugena ignored it and ignored the Guards too. She was too caught up in her own thoughts to eat or care about what the Guards were thinking of her.

All she thinking was, _I'm sorry, Rapunzel. I am so so sorry…_

Just those words over and over again. And with those words came images. Images of what might be happening to the other girl in the hands of the Stabbingtons. Having lived so long on the darker side of life, Eugena knew all about the bad things that could happen. She had seen so many bad things over the years and now each one was playing out in her imagination with Rapunzel the victim of it all. And it made her sick to her stomach.

 _This is all my fault,_ Eugena thought, biting down on one finger to hold back tears. _I should never have agreed to that deal. I should never have climbed that tower. I should never have stolen that crown!_ If she had never done any of those things, Rapunzel would have remained safe. Yeah, the two of them would never have met, but wouldn't that be better than knowing she had basically condemned a sweet innocent girl to a horrible fate?

Her guilt ate at her. Rising up in the back of her throat like bitter bile. Eugena refused to allow the tears that burned at her eyes to fall. It was less out of any sort of pride, but for the simple reason that no one would understand or care. Because these tears weren't for herself, her own coming fate, but for the fate of another.

Every so often there was the noise of some other cretin behind hauled in. There would be a scuffle followed by the slamming of some other cell door. She couldn't bring herself to go look out of through the bars of her cell at whoever the poor soul was. It didn't matter anyway.

A rat was nosing about along one of the walls. When it noticed Eugena, the skinny grey animal stood on its hind legs to stare at her. Eugena just stared back. The rat was thin and had many scars along its body. Its tail was short, probably cut or bitten off by something. Or someone. She wondered in the back of her mind if it was as personable as Pascal. Or was it more like Maximus? Just like it could hear her thoughts, the rat looked her and twitched its whiskers as if offended at being compared to a frog or a horse before scampering off.

She didn't get any sleep that night. She couldn't sleep. Not because of the cell being uncomfortable, because it certain wasn't a place meant for comfort. It was because every time she closed her eyes, she would see Rapunzel's green ones. Eyes filled with optimism, joy, laughter. Eyes filled with the wonder of discovery. Eyes that held worry in their green depths. Eyes that accused Eugena of betrayal. Eyes that reflected a broken heart and a broken spirit.

Eyes staring with the blankness of death.

Those were the worse.

In the early hours of dawn, Eugena finally got up to pace her cell restlessly. Back and forth. Hundreds of times. She kept trying to find a way to get help for Rapunzel. Any way to help her. Surely there was _some_ way. But every plan she could come up with would fall apart almost as quickly as she thought of it.

 _Come on, Eugena! Think!_ Eugena rubbed her forehead with one hand. _If you can't get someone to believe you, you need to figure out a way to get out of here yourself._ But who would believe her about a girl with _magic_ hair. Okay, the people of Corona were a little more inclined to believe in magic, considering the search for that magic flower to save the queen. But the jump from a magic flower to someone with magic hair was likely too unbelievable even for this place. Eugena had had time to get used to the idea, even if she had been shocked when she first learned about it.

She wasn't even sure if she _should_ tell anyone about it. Rapunzel and her mother put a lot of effort in keeping it secret. And look at what happened the moment someone else found out about it. All right, _she_ didn't covet it, but the Stabbingtons certainly had.

She turned to the small barred window of her cell. The narrow window looked out over the roofs of the city. Not the most inspiring view. It just served to emphasize exactly where she was and what she had done to end up here. Eugena wrapped her hands around the bars completely mired in her own thoughts. Just then there was the clank of a metal key turning in a lock. She over her shoulder to see none other than the Captain of the Guard opening the door to her cell, two fellow Guards on either side of him.

"Let's get this over with, Rider." The man said with a business like expression.

For one moment, Eugena drew a blank on what the man was talking about. _Get what over with?_ She wondered. "Where are we going?" she asked hesitantly, looking for the Captain to the other Guards and back. The Captain said nothing in reply, his expression spoke clearly enough. _The gallows. My…_ Her left hand crept up and rested against her throat as Eugena realized _…my execution._

"Oh…" she murmured softly. Eugena looked down at her hand, lifting it from her neck. She stared at the unmarked palm where not even a scar remained after Rapunzel had healed it. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Rapunzel had healed her hand but she might as well not even have bothered. Eugena was going to die anyway. She closed her eyes and clenched that hand into a fist for a moment, setting her mouth into a firm line. All the fight ran out of her and she let her hand drop to her side.

The two other Guards entered the cell. Eugena stood passively as they took a set of shackles and locked her hands behind her back. _Why bother fighting?_ she thought despondently. She merely linked her hands loosely together behind her back as the Guards each took her arms, leading her from her cell.

The Captain blocked the doorway for one moment. "Don't you have _anything_ to say for yourself?" he asked in disgust.

Eugena looked up at him with dull eyes. Did he really expect her to say something? What did he want her to say? That she was sorry? She doubted it would matter at this point. If she didn't deserve to hang for all her crimes, she certainly deserved to hang for what she had done to Rapunzel. She had abandoned her to a fate worse than death. Maybe she hadn't meant to, but that still was the result. She was still to blame and the Captain of the Guard was merely the tool of Fate in dealing out her just punishment.

Without a word she looked away and gave a single shake of the head.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him blink for a moment. Perhaps he was taken aback by Eugena's passive acceptance of her fate. Perhaps he had expected her to plead for her life. It didn't matter. His momentary lapse quickly vanished as he looked at his men. "Let's go." He ordered with a jerk of his head. Turning on his heel, he marched down the long cell block.

Eugena and the other two Guards followed.

Echoes of their boot steps bounced off the walls. Cell after cell, they passed. Most had at least one or two men inside. Drunks, thieves, other criminals. Eugena barely saw them and not one of them looked up from their own misery. None wanted to see the dead person walking by.

 _This is it, isn't it?_ Eugena thought. _This is how I'm going to die._ In a way, she wasn't all that surprised. After all, how many thieves get to live long healthy lives? She could remember something she had heard once. That there were old thieves and bold thieves, but there weren't any old, bold thieves. Well, as Flynn Rider, she had certainly been of the second sort. And honestly, to say that she was unafraid to face her coming death would be a lie. She was afraid, any sane person would, but she felt more guilt than fear. But then a strange numbness had taken over. The fear and the guilt were at one remove from Eugena. Like the numbness had built a wall between her and those feelings.

 _Not that it matters how I die. Who's really going to miss me?_ She already knew the answers to that question. _The Guards? They'll just be glad to have gotten rid of Flynn Rider. Any of the family I had left or anyone I knew back at the orphanage? None of them probably even remember me. Rapunzel? Maybe, but more likely she just hates me too much now to miss me. The Stabbingtons? Ha! They're too busy rotting in their own cell to care._

She suddenly blinked. And did a double take.

For indeed, there in their own cell were both Stabbington Brothers. Stabby One sitting on one side and Stabby Two sitting on the other.

A brief wave of relief washed through Eugena. If the Stabbingtons were here in gaol, that could only mean that Rapunzel had gotten away from them somehow. _That_ meant she was safe! She was likely okay! And right on the heels of that relief was a wash of red hot rage. Not so much for the fact that they had double-crossed her. If it was only that, she wouldn't have cared so much. No, it was because they had _known_ about Rapunzel's hair. They had known about the magic held within it. Yet they hadn't known the man they knew as Flynn Rider was actually a girl. They had acted completely normal in that aspect. If they had been watching that night when she and Rapunzel had camped out, they surely would have noticed that little fact. So that meant _someone_ had told them about Rapunzel instead, someone who knew about the blonde girl's special power. Someone else had arranged all this.

But who? Eugena was about to find out.

She shouldered the Guard on her left hard enough to slam him into the bars of a cell, stunning him. The second Guard lifted a fist to hit her, but before he could do so Eugena head-butted the man. He went down like a rock. She ignored the pain that however caused. In fact she hardly felt it. A little bit of pain was nothing in the face of her rage and the burning need to find out. Besides she had gone through a lot worse recently. And that was nothing compared to the several blows to the head from Rapunzel's frying pan.

She wouldn't be able to do anything with her hands bound behind her. Fortunately the chain that connected her shackles was far too long to effectively bind her hands behind her back. With a simple hop, and by tucking her legs up against her chest as she did so, Eugena was able to bring her hands around to the front. Before any of the other Guards in the cell block could react, she lunged for the nearest Stabbington.

Eugena grabbed the front of Stabby One's green tunic. Yanking hard, she forced him up against the bars between them. "How did you know about her?!" she snarled, a part of her surprised at the barely contained anger in her voice, "Tell me, now!" She must have sounded more a great deal more furious to Stabby One. He actually paled and stared at her with wide grey eyes. And Stabby Two did nothing to try to rescue his brother, only scramble back against the far wall of their cell. Eugena barely noticed him, her eyes focused on the Stabbington she had, her stare as sharp as razors.

"It-It wasn't us!" Stabby One stammered fearfully. A tiny part of Eugena was pleased by the man's fear. It felt good to put that fear into a man nearly twice her size and who could, in other circumstances, easily break her in two. Then Stabby One continued, "It was the old lady!"

Eugena blinked and furrowed her brow. "Old lady…?" she muttered. That made absolutely no sense. What old lady? Why would an old lady know about Rapunzel's hair? As far as Eugena knew, the only old lady that could possible know was… Her eyes widened in sudden realization. _The mother! Rapunzel's_ _ **mother**_ _told them about her hair! Her own mother sold her out!_ Eugena's stomach dropped. _And to think I might have considered going to this woman and asking for permission to hide out from these guys with her and Rapunzel._

Eugena personally didn't hold to the idea that blood was thicker than water. Not surprising if one were to look at her own family. Mother dead, father vanished and presumed the same, and an aunt that got rid of her not even a day after her mother's funeral. She had seen a couple of her cousins once years ago, but by that time she had already become Flynn Rider. So they had not recognized her and she was able to completely ignore them in turn.

And though she didn't know much about the woman, in her wildest dreams she couldn't imagine she was the kind of mother who would sell out her own daughter like that. And for what? Just for sneaking out for a few days? Was that _really_ so terrible? And how had she discovered Rapunzel had left in the first place? Eugena was pretty sure that really didn't matter. And besides, from what little Eugena had gathered about her, Rapunzel's mother had seemed just like any other loving protective parent. Maybe a tad harsh and little too over-protective, what with the whole forbidden to leave the tower thing, but still, nothing that would indicate she would hand an innocent girl over to two brutes like the Stabbingtons.

 _Unless she was playing all of us,_ she thought. _She could have just been using the Stabbingtons. Have them make it seem like I had abandoned Rapunzel, that I had run off with the crown, and get me sent off to gaol while all the while making them think they were going to get Rapunzel in return. All as a way to scare Rapunzel into coming home._ That could be a possibility. She remembered what Rapunzel had said the night before at the campfire.

" _Mother never tells me anything about Outside unless it's to tell me how horrible and dangerous it is."_

Judging by that, it _did_ look like Rapunzel's mother had a history of using scare tactics to control Rapunzel. And all in a bid to protect Rapunzel's magic hair? Was all that effort really necessary?

Another horrible thought, _Is Rapunzel_ _ **really**_ _safe with her own mother?_

With all these questions buzzing in her mind, it was a shock when a pair of heavy hands grabbed her shoulders roughly. The Guards had recovered and had come to drag her away. They hauled her away from the Stabbingtons' cell; forcing Eugena to release the brother she had by the collar. The redheaded man fell back on his rump as Eugena let go of him.

But now Eugena was _not_ going to allow herself to be summarily dragged out and executed. With all she had heard, with all that she had realized, a new energy filled her. A determination to live. She had to live! She had to get to Rapunzel. She had to _warn_ her! No longer passive, she struggled against the two Guards. "Wait. No! Wait!" she shouted, almost pulling free. A third Guard joined the other two. Eugena dig in her heels. "You don't understand! She's in trouble! _**Wait!**_ "

But none of them were listening to her.

Eugena fought with everything she had. She had to get free! Rapunzel needed her! She threw herself from side to side, but the Guards were wise to her now. She wasn't able to catch any of them off guard a second time. With three pairs of hands on her, nothing she did worked. She couldn't fight against that many, especially once they got her bent over. In that position she couldn't get any leverage to keep struggling. The Guards pulled and shoved her down the corridor.

And outside one of the windows they passed, Eugena spotted something that made her heart pound.

The gallows. With the noose twisting in the slight breeze.

Waiting for _her_ neck.


	18. The Spell Is Broken

**AN:** Okay, this chapter may get a little confusing near the end. I just hope you all can follow along and understand why I wrote it the way I did.

* * *

"There. It never happened." Mother said, plucking the last of the flowers out of Rapunzel's hair. The task had taken a very long time. She dropped the flower into the basket she had placed on the floor. She bent down and picked up the basket as she stood up from her seat on the side of Rapunzel's bed. "Now, wash up for dinner. I'm making hazelnut soup…" she had continued as she headed for the doorway, drawling out the last sentence in a sing-song voice.

Rapunzel didn't move or even look up. She just continued to sit, staring down at her clasped hands. She hadn't spoken a word to Mother during the long ordeal of taking down the braid. Her mind had been miles away the entire time. A tiny part of her was comparing the way Mother was removing the flowers with the way Eugena had untangled Rapunzel from her hair after tumbling down that hill. It wasn't that Mother was rough or harsh; she always took very special care with Rapunzel's hair. There was just something about it that was so different from the way Eugena handled it. Rapunzel couldn't quite put her finger on it.

With every flower that Mother had taken out, every bit of braid unraveled, she couldn't help but remember all the good wonderful things she had seen and done during her time outside this tower. Those sweet little girls, making those chalk drawings, singing with the thugs at the Snuggly Duckling, the bookstore. The more she thought about those, even with the shadow of Eugena in all of them, the more she wanted to remember every bit of her adventure. The good and, yes, even the bad. No longer did she have any desire to get rid of what was to be the last shred of proof she had of her adventure, now that the braid was gone. So she kept the flag in her hands hidden.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mother stop and turn in the doorway when she received no response from her daughter. With a sigh, Mother said, "I really did _try_ , Rapunzel. I _tried_ to warn you what was out there. The world it dark and selfish and cruel." Mother shook her head and took a hold of the curtains that stood in place of a door to Rapunzel's room. "If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it _destroys_ it." With that Mother yanked the curtains closed and left.

Only then did Rapunzel dare to look up. Just to make sure that Mother was truly gone. Slowly she opened her hands to look at the crumpled flag once more. Carefully she smoothed out the purple fabric. She felt so confused. On the one hand, she knew Mother was right. But on the other she had the evidence of everything she had experienced outside the tower and it hadn't _all_ been bad. So which was right?

There was a sad squeak beside her and Rapunzel glanced to the side to see Pascal curled up against her thigh. He looked up at her with a sad expression that said _I know you're sad. I'm here for you. I'm sorry._ Pascal turned a dusky blue and snuggled against her leg.

Rapunzel tried to smile in reassurance to her friend, but could only manage a slight quirk at the corner of her mouth. It wasn't a very good smile at all really and she knew it. It just didn't seem worth the effort to do any more than that. As absorbed in her grief and confusion as she was, Rapunzel wasn't sure if she _could_ ever smile again. If she even _wanted_ to.

Maybe if she just spent some time _not_ thinking about it. Closing her eyes and heaving a sigh, she flopped backwards onto the bed, holding the flag to her chest. No matter what, it still hurt. If only she could forget about Eugena and only remembered the good parts. The problem was that all those good parts were tied up with Eugena. Every time that Rapunzel tried to cut the other girl out of her memories, all she could think about was her. Her smile, her laugh, her warm brown eyes.

 _Stop it, Rapunzel. Stop thinking about her._ She ordered herself. _Remember what she did._ And yet even still Rapunzel couldn't make herself stop. Like wiggling a loose tooth, she couldn't stop thinking back on all the fun they had had together even knowing the hurt that came later. Well, lying there with her eyes closed didn't help. Rapunzel sighed again and slowly opened her eyes to stare blankly at the painted ceiling overhead. The fanciful paintings she had done, usually so comforting, were no solace. Even the colours seemed dull and…

Rapunzel's eyes were suddenly drawn to a particular design. A circle of doves near the peak of the roof. The shape they made in the center was so familiar. A shape she had seen a great deal of just recently. Raising an eyebrow, she frowned a little and lifted the flag over her head. For a moment she just stared at the golden sun on it and then back at her painting. Then back at the flag once more.

 _It's like they're the…_ she thought slowly, the words seeming to slog through molasses. _Like they are the… same?_ Carefully Rapunzel levered herself back up into a sitting position, still staring at the ceiling. The more she stared at those doves, the more she was certain that's what it was. She had painted those birds in the exact shape of the Corona Sun. And if to prove it, in her mind's eye she could see that circle of birds take on a golden light, illuminating the sun hidden within the painting.

Her eyes widened and she found that it wasn't the only sun she had painted. There was another in a group of animals. And another in a cluster of leaves. And in a dancing girl, too! Each newly found symbol lit up in Rapunzel's mind until her entire room was filled with them. Rapunzel jumped to her feet and stood in the center of the room.

Like a tremendous wave crashing down on her, a flood of realization hit her. She spun around, or was it the room that was spinning? Rapunzel didn't know or care. She was no longer even there. No, she was far away from her body. Somewhere else, or perhaps some _when_ else. Memories she didn't even know she had came rushing back in.

 _A golden sun hanging over a crib, blurry but identifiable, and strange little shapes dangling around it. There was a chameleon, a cherub, a duckling, a bluebird, and a horse. The view rotated, shifting down from the fascinating things overhead to two blurry people gazing down with love. Two people with brown hair and shiny circles on their heads._

A flash of white light.

 _The great mosaic in the market of the king and queen of Corona holding their baby prince. Those were the two people from before. And the baby… Little Prince Rupert, with long golden hair and bright green eyes… Who looked so much like… Like…_

Another flash of white light.

 _A reflection in the mirror lifting the crown of the Lost Heir onto a head of golden hair. Suddenly, instead of the girl, it was a young man looking back out of the mirror. A young man with bright green eyes. A young man that the crown had been_ _ **made**_ _for. For he_ _ **was**_ _the Lost Heir. The Lost Prince of Corona._

 _And_ _ **He**_ _was_ _ **Her**_ _!_

The impact of that realization was hit like a ton of rocks. Rapunzel cried out in shock and stumbled back into her vanity. She nearly fell, but caught herself on the edge of the little table. She could feel something. Something inside her that strained to get out. Her head pounded and her vision swam as she tried to catch her breath.

"Rapunzel? Rapunzel, what's going on up there?" Mother called from down below. The sound of her voice came closer as she spoke, likely climbing the stairs to Rapunzel's room.

Rapunzel barely heard her. She was still lost in the shock of truth. Panting for breath, the only thing running through her mind was _I am… I am…_ _ **I**_ _AM…_ _ **I AM…**_

Moving like a badly oiled hinge, she made her way to the door of her bed room. As she stepped through the doorway, Mother asked "Are you all right?"

"I'm the lost prince." Rapunzel muttered in a whisper, clinging to the curtain like a lifeline with both hands. She stared with wide eyes at the floor under her bare feet. It hardly seemed possible. How could it _be_ possible? How could _she_ be _him_? In a weird way, that little voice inside, the one she had listened to before, suddenly made sense. Was it possible that that voice had actually come from Rupert instead of Rapunzel? It was because of that voice that she had come up with the idea of sneaking out in the first place. Had Rupert been trying to guide Rapunzel into learning the truth from within all along?

Mother gave an exasperated sigh. "Please speak _up_ , Rapunzel. You know how I _hate_ the mumbling."

All of a sudden, that comment, that constant complaint from the woman standing below her on the stairs, filled Rapunzel with a brand new determination. "I am," Rapunzel replied loudly, speaking each word clearly so that there would be no mistaking what she was saying, "the lost _prince_. Aren't I?" She lifted her head to stare down her mother, no… the kidnapper.

The woman once called Mother had a complete look of shock on her face. Her grey eyes widened.

"Did I mumble, Mother?" Rapunzel stepped away from the curtain, standing straight. In that moment, something changed. She could actually feel her body _change_. It wasn't painful and it wasn't frightening, just an odd sensation. There was brief shimmer, a sparkle in front of the eyes. Standing taller now and feeling reborn, it was no surprise that the next words that came out were said in a _male_ voice, a little deeper than Eugena's Flynn voice.

"Or should I even call you that?" Prince Rupert finished in disgust.

Gothel, for Rupert would _never_ again think of her as anything like a mother, froze on the stairs for a moment. She quickly recovered and attempted to laugh it all off. "Oh, Rapunzel, do you even _hear_ yourself? Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?" She went to put her arms around Rupert.

He stepped back, pushing her away from him. "It was you!" He said, but as he spoke everything shifted again and Rapunzel was back. She continued, "It was _all_ you!" All the horror stories she had been told, the one who had cut her hair as a baby, everything she had been warned about? It had all been Gothel!

The fake look of motherly love was gone from the older woman. She stared down at Rapunzel with a sinister expression much like those red haired men from earlier. "Everything I did was to protect _you_." She sneered. With a cry of disgust, Rapunzel shoved pass Gothel and stormed down the stairs. "Rapunzel!" Gothel called after her.

But Rapunzel wasn't listening any more. All she could think about now was that story Eugena had told her. The story of Rupert's kidnapping, _her_ kidnapping. Gothel was the witch that had stolen the baby prince. It was so clear now. She had even thought at the time it was strange that both the magic flower and her hair had the same ability. As Rapunzel stalked down the stairs, words spilled out unbidden. "I have spent my entire _life_ …" The change happened midsentence and Rupert didn't miss a beat as he continued down the stairs. "… _hiding_ from people…" Again, the change back to Rapunzel. "…who would use me for my powers…"

"Rapunzel!" Gothel repeated louder and with more force as she followed her captive.

Rapunzel wanted to scream that _wasn't_ the right name! She wasn't Rapunzel! Rapunzel was just this… this mask that Rupert was being forced to wear. Everything about her was a lie! _She_ was a lie! "…When I _should_ have been hiding…" Another change, this one a little more abrupt than the last. The strain of each shift between Rapunzel and Rupert was building. Like that dam that had collapsed, whatever had been done to change Rupert into Rapunzel was starting to break down. Rupert reached the bottom of the stairs and turned back to glare up at Gothel. "…from _you_!" he spat out.

"Where will you go?" Gothel asked, stopping on the last step. There was a smug look to her face now. Like she knew something he didn't. " _She_ won't be there for you."

Suddenly Rupert regretted ever telling Gothel about Eugena's true identity. It was obvious by those words that Gothel had everything to do with what had happened earlier. Everything he had thought had happened was false. Eugena _hadn't_ left him on the beach, not of her own free will. It hadn't been _Eugena_ who had told those men about the magic. It had _all_ been Gothel.

"What did you do to her?" Rupert demanded, though a jolt of fear for Eugena's sake tried to clog the words in his throat.

The smug look on Gothel's face intensified. "That _criminal_ is to be _hanged_ for her crimes."

The words hit like a blow to the stomach. The world dropped out from under him. There was a nearly audible snap and Rapunzel gasped. "No…" Her mind whirled. _No, not Eugena! She doesn't… she doesn't deserve to die!_ It wasn't fair! Now, Rapunzel knew Eugena had done some bad things as Flynn Rider. She _had_ been a thief after all. But surely, surely, even stealing Rupert's crown didn't warrant a death sentence! Not her Eugena. Not her beloved.

Rapunzel barely noticed Gothel come around behind her. "Now, now, it's all right." the woman crooned, just like she was trying to sooth a child throwing a tantrum. "Listen to me. All of this is as _it should_ _ **be**_." Gothel reached out to pat Rapunzel on the head as she had so many times before.

Without even thinking, without Rapunzel even consciously directing it to, her hand lashed out and clamped around Gothel's wrist.

"No!" Rapunzel cried sharply. She had had enough of being pushed around, of being treated like a child that was too young to know better. All the anger at being tricked, being betrayed not by the person she had fallen in love with but by Gothel, rose inside her. And with it, the barrier between Rapunzel and Rupert weakened further. Rupert glared up at his captor. "You were _wrong_ about the world..." Another inaudible crack and Rapunzel was the one glaring. "…And you were wrong about _me_! And I… will _never_ … let you… use my… hair…" As the words spilled out the shifts between the two came faster and nearly every other word was spoken in either a male or female voice. Yet it wasn't a battle of wills between Rupert and Rapunzel. Both were of one mind in this. "… _AGAIN!_ "

On that last word, the mask was broken. Rapunzel vanished forever and only Rupert remained.

Gothel wrenched her wrist free of Rupert's grip with a grunt of effort and stumbled backwards. She backed right into the standing mirror. The one that she primped and preened in. The one that shown Rupert the first hint of who he really was. The mirror fell sideways and hit the floor. The silvered glass shattered, sending the broken shards spraying out in all directions. Gothel looked down at the broken mirror, panting a little, and then slowly looked back up at Rupert with dismayed shock written across her face.

He merely stared back, mouth a firm line, before slowly turning his back on her. As far as he was concerned, a broken mirror didn't matter. _Gothel_ no longer mattered. What _did_ matter was for him to leave. Right now. He _would_ leave, go to Corona, and convince them to release Eugena from prison.

As he turned, Rupert spotted the formerly hidden trapdoor they had entered through when Gothel had brought them back to the tower earlier. _So that's how we got back. Well, it just as easy to leave that way as it would be going out the window,_ he thought. He started walking towards it.

Behind him, almost too softly to hear, Gothel mumbled in a dark voice. "You want me to be the bad guy? Fine, now I'm the bad guy."

Rupert didn't pay any attention to her though. He was too focused on getting out of there and so completely ignored Gothel. He saw Pascal crouched fearfully in the cold fireplace, his colouring a dark ash grey for camouflage. Not wanting to leave behind his dearest friend and the only thing he wanted to take with him, Rupert bent down to pick up the chameleon. Just as he did so, Pascal's eyes widened and he gave a warning squeak.

Rupert spun around in time to see Gothel swinging a clay pot, the same clay pot he had hidden Eugena's satchel in barely two days ago, straight for his head. He lunged backwards which caused her to miss by inches. But in that moment something un expected happened. Rupert fell.

Rupert wasn't sure how it happened. He didn't know if it was because he got tangled up in the skirt of the dress he was wearing, or maybe because his balance was thrown off by suddenly being in a completely different physical body than the one he had lived in for eighteen years. It was just that the next thing he knew, he _was_ falling and before he could put out a hand to save himself, the back of his head connected with the stone hearth of the fireplace.

Stars exploded in front of his eyes and everything went dark.


	19. A Grand Escape

**AN:** Sorry I missed the last two weeks. I was too busy with work and then was sick with the flu over Christmas. And if that wasn't fun, I gave it to four of my family members too. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

* * *

Together the guards, managed to drag Eugena all the way to the end of the cell block. She hadn't giving up, though she had stopped the wild struggling just so that the third Guard holding her would be unnecessary. She was still determined to break free and it would be easier with fewer Guards hanging on. As they entered another short hallway, she pulled side to side just as a test, but neither Guard holding her let go, in fact one put his hand on the back of her neck to force her to bend over again.

Eugena mentally cursed. This wasn't working. Just blind struggles just weren't going to cut it. She was going to have to come up with a plan and fast.

Just then, something caught her eye. Something in a small niche between two open doorways. Something so completely out of place she just stared at it for a second. Something tiny, sparkly, and… _pink_?

Eugena blinked.

It was! A tiny ceramic unicorn statue stood in that niche. _I know that thing,_ she thought. _I've seen it, held it somewhere before. But where? And why does it remind me of the smell of the colour_ _ **brown**_ _?_ It was that last thought that did it. What's his name from the Snuggly Duckling! The brick shithouse! Van?... Val?... No! Vladimir! That was his name. Didn't he collect them? _But what is it doing_ _ **here**_ _of all places?_

As if to answer that question, the door at the end of the hall slammed shut right in the Captain's face. It was only the first as all the other doors slammed close one after the other, leaving the Captain, the two Guards, and Eugena trapped in that little hallway. The Guard holding the back of Eugena's neck let go and she was able to straighten again as the Guards looked around in confusion.

Eugena looked around, for one moment just as confused, but then an inkling of an idea started to form. This was all too fortuitous to be a coincidence.

"What's this?" The Captain asked rhetorically. He turned to the door in front of him and pounded on it three times, demanding. "Open up!"

There was a small view plate made of iron set into the heavy door. In answer to the Captain's pounding, it popped open. "Waz th' pashword?" slurred the little old man on the other side before sliding it shut again. It was, of all people, the drunkard Shorty. Thankfully in proper clothing and not that cherub costume of his.

Eugena's eyebrows shot up. _Oh dear lord._ She thought.

The good Captain was not the least bit pleased by all this. "What?" he cried in irritable surprise, completely taken aback. Shorty popped the plate open again.

"Nope!" he answered, chuckling in that cheerful way of the perpetual drunk. And the view plate closed a second time.

"Open this door!" Came from the increasingly angry Captain. The Guards on either side of Eugena had loosened their holds on her. She barely noticed, being too taken in by the drama between Shorty and the Captain. She almost wished she could sell tickets for this.

The view plate was opened a third time, but now Shorty just sounded disappointed. "Not ev'n closesh!" He slurred and popped it shut once more. Eugena had to wonder if there even _was_ a password because if there was, she doubted Shorty could even remember it with that sodden brain of his.

By now, the Captain was entirely fed up. "You have _three_ seconds! One…"

Just as the Captain started his count down, the Guard on Eugena's left suddenly vanished. She looked to see what had happened only to see none other than Hookhand hanging by his knees from one of the rafters overhead. He had the now unconscious Guard slung over the rafter next to him. As Eugena stared, he looked at her, put his hook to his lips in a shushing gesture, and _winked_.

"Two…" continued the Captain, unaware of the happenings behind him.

Eugena whipped her head around to look at the other Guard. _He_ had completely let go of her and was looking up in shock, pointing at the thug in the rafters. Just as he opened his mouth to alert the Captain of the intruder, a huge beefy hand that Eugena was sure belonged to Vladimir reached out through the doorway behind him, wrapped around his head, and yanked the Guard in with the brick shithouse thug.

"Three…?" The Captain slowly turned around at the sound of the second Guard's helmet rattling on the floor. Though Eugena bit back a laugh, she had to grin a little as she gave the man a rather cheeky wave. A look of utter confusion crossed his face at the incredulous sight of his prisoner standing, _alone_ , with his fellow Guards no longer in sight. "Huh?"

The door that Shorty had been blocking silently swung open behind the Captain and Attila stepped through. He loomed up behind the Captain, lifted one arm, and brought a very familiar looking frying pan down on the man's head. Eugena nearly winched. She knew how painful that was. The Captain's fancy gold washed helmet was no match for the black cast iron. He froze for a second, eyes crossed, before falling in a heap face first on the floor.

"Frying pans!" Eugena laughed as she looked up at the baker thug. "Who knew, right?" Never in her life had she been more relieved to see a group of thugs. It seemed, for whatever reason, they had come to break her out of gaol. Honestly, she didn't care how or why, only that they had. She almost wanted to kiss their big ugly mugs, if that wouldn't have been awkward and completely out of character.

As Hookhand hung from the rafters and Vladimir came out of the room he had been hiding in, Attila bent and retrieved the keys for Eugena's shackles from the Captain's belt. He tossed them to Vladimir who set about freeing Eugena. Just as he got the first one off, a loud thudding on the door at the far end of the hallway interrupted them. Eugena and the rest turned to look just as four more Guards bashed their way through the locked door. They weren't even brought up short at the unlikely sight of the three thugs and Eugena. They just charged straight at them, swords drawn.

The thugs did the smart thing and scattered, Attila pulling Eugena along with him as she yanked off the other manacle. Tossing her restraints aside, she followed the big thug. They raced down another corridor, at one point passing Ulf. Eugena had though he had been posted as a look-out and expected for the mime thug to fall in with them. When he didn't, when in fact the sounds of the Guards' boot steps chasing after them suddenly stopped, Eugena dared to glance back to see what had happened. After all, if the thugs were nice enough to rescue her, she felt obligated to be concerned for their safety as well.

The three Guards that had followed her and Attila had come to a stop as Ulf preformed some mime act for them. Eugena came to a stop at the end of the hall as well, her mouth dropping open. _No way,_ she thought. _Please tell me the Guards are not stupid enough to fall for the invisible wall trick. Dear god, it's any wonder I was able to steal that crown so easily!_

The Guards watched the thug with perplexed expressions. Right up until Ulf put a hand to his brow and peered down an adjoining hall. The Guards turned to look. There was a bull-like roar and the three Guards shrieked like frightened girls, dropping their swords. For good reason it seemed as that bellow had come from Vladimir who quickly mowed the poor Guards down like bowling pins.

Ulf turned to face Eugena and put his hands to his mouth as if to say, _Oops! Did I cause that? My bad!_

Eugena burst into laughter and saluted the man before taking off after Attila again. They were soon joined by Hookhand.

"Got yourself into quite the pickle, eh, Rider." The one handed thug huffed out as he fell in step with them.

"Not entirely my fault." Eugena replied. If she thought about it, that was the actual truth. To be executed for her crimes was her fault, but it hadn't been her fault that she had gotten arrested in the first place. That lay at the feet of the Stabbingtons. Not wanting to dwell on that, she looked at Attila and asked, "Where'd you get that frying pan?"

The baker thug replied, "It was found and given to us."

 _Aha! I knew it had to be blondie's!_ she thought. Eugena was about to ask who had found it when they reached a final hall that lead outside. Bursting out into daylight, the three came to a halt as they entered the main yard of the gaol. For one very good reason.

There were hundreds of Guards streaming out of doors on the second floor walkway, all yelling as they charged for the set of stairs across from Eugena.

Eugena's mouth went dry. _Since_ _ **when**_ _did Corona_ _ **have**_ _this many Guards?!_ She didn't get to wonder about that for more than a second because at that moment a hand and a hook caught her arms. Hookhand lifted Eugena up and set her down beside him. She looked at the thug.

"Head down." He ordered.

Eugena ducked her head. "Head down."

Hookhand pulled his elbows against his sides. "Arms in."

"Arms in." Eugena repeated as she copied him, bringing her fists up.

"Knees apart." The man finished.

She set her feet shoulder width apart. "Knees apart." She confirmed and then paused. _What the…_ There was something fishy with that last order. Eugena looked at Hookhand in confusion. "Knees apart? Why-why do I need to keep my knees a— _ **PART**_!" Eugena's voice jumped several octaves and her stomach dropped into her boots as she was fired into the air.

As she slowly flipped head over heels, she could see everyone, Guards and thugs alike, below her staring up at her in return. She could also now see the mechanism responsible for her sudden flight. A single-axle cart. Hookhand had obviously placed her on one end and then Vladimir had jumped onto the other, sending her flying. Screaming like the girl she was, Eugena squeezed her eyes shut.

 _I can't believe_ _ **this**_ _was the guys' plan!_ She thought hysterically. _If I live through this, I'm going to beat them all senseless!_ All of a sudden, she came to an abrupt halt and she cut off the scream. She found herself sitting with her legs around something the size of a barrel. Something that was breathing. For a brief moment she was _sooo_ glad she was female and not male. Otherwise _that_ would have hurt a _lot_ more than it did. She let out a whoosh of breath.

Eugena's eyes slowly cracked open to see she was sitting in the saddle of Maximus, who nickered at her. They were on the walkway at the top of the wall surrounding the gaol. She blinked and relaxed a little. "Max!" she breathed in wonder, "You brought them here?"

The white stallion nodded once. Eugena was stunned. She didn't know what to think. At any point before yesterday, she would have said Maximus hated her. Yesterday she would have said Max barely tolerated her and _that_ was only due to Rapunzel's influence. Was it possible that the horse had had a change of heart in regards to her? It didn't seem beyond the realms of possibility. For proof, Eugena only had to look so far as to how much _she_ had changed since meeting the girl.

As to how the horse knew she needed rescuing, Eugena remembered that they had left him waiting on the docks when she and Rapunzel had gone out in the boat to watch the lanterns. The boat the Stabbingtons had tied Eugena to must have bumped into a dock near enough for Maximus to hear the Guards arrest her. Could he have sensed that Rapunzel was in trouble and knew that Eugena was likely the only one to know how to find her? Even if that's all it was, Eugena was still grateful.

"Thank you." She said with full honesty. Maximus gave a little _don't mention it_ type nod, but Eugena was felt she had to say more. She put a hand over her heart and continued. "No, really. Thank you. Uh… I feel maybe this whole time, we've just been misunderstanding on another, and we really just…" Catching a glimpse of the look Maximus was giving her, Eugena cut off the rest of what she was about to say.

Max was clearly saying, _Now? Right now? You chose_ _ **now**_ _to wax eloquent when we are in the middle of trying to break you out of gaol? Seriously? This is_ _ **so**_ _not the time for this!_ How he was able to convey all that in a simple look, Eugena was sure she would never understand. It was enough to shut her up, however.

She could feel her face grow hot as she sat up in the saddle and took up the reins. "Yeah, you're right. We should go."

Right at that moment the door to the lookout tower behind them was kicked open by trio of Guards, all bearing crossbows. As one, they took aim and fired. Maximus burst into a gallop along the wall, dodging left and right. Eugena crouched low to Maximus' neck to present less of a target. By some miracle, none of the bolts hit their marks; though Eugena was sure she felt at least one brush pass her leg. She risked a glance over her shoulder to see the three men scrambling to reload their crossbows.

A burst of noise drew her attention ahead. A larger group of Guards were charging from another lookout tower at the opposite corner of the gaol complex from the first one. And they were headed for the corner where that wall and the one Max and she were galloping down met. "Max?" she warned since the horse was the one with the plan. She hoped.

Max didn't stop. Didn't even pause. _What is he doing? He_ _ **has**_ _to see what's coming,_ she thought. Again, Eugena warned, a little more forcefully, "Max!" By now, the Guards had reached the corner, swords and halberds at the ready. And Maximus was actually going faster! Eugena's heart leapt into her throat. _No way. No_ _ **way**_ _is he going to jump! That's crazy! Max isn't going to jump. He's_ _ **not**_ _going to… Bloody Hell, he_ _ **IS**_ _!_

" _MAX_!" she yelled as she and the horse barreled through the Guards before they could get their weapons up. A couple even had to dive out of the way. Eugena felt the muscles bunch under her as Maximus pushed off from the edge of the parapet. For the second time in only a handful of minutes, Eugena found herself flying through the air, only this time on the back of an insane white horse. She let voice another embarrassingly girlish scream.

Maximus stretched out his legs and Eugena could only guess he was focused on whatever landing he had in mind. The tiled roof of a house loomed up under them. The pitch of it was steep enough that the horse had to lock his front legs and practically sit on his haunches to keep from throwing Eugena over his neck. The roof tiles broke and scattered to either side as they slide down the side of the roof. Max made another tremendous leap from the edge of the roof, right over the heads of several people.

They landed in the street below in a clatter of hooves on cobblestones. Max didn't even wait for Eugena to regain her balance, and rein in her rebelling stomach, before taking off at full gallop again. Many of the townsfolk that were out and about at that early hour were forced to dodge out of the way of the horse.

 _We… we made it!_ Eugena though in shock, glancing over her shoulder. _We actually_ _ **survived**_ _that insane escape!_ She let out a breathless laugh. She hoped that the thugs they had left behind would be able to make their own getaways, but she couldn't spare any more thought to them. She had a much more important matter to get to. "Okay, Max. Let's see how fast you can run."

Maximus neighed, accepting the challenge. He put his great head down and all but flew. Through the streets of the kingdom and across the bridge to the forest beyond. Eugena crouched low to his neck once more, concentrating on keeping her balance just so on the horse's back and leaving the rest up to Maximus.

"You remember the place you lost track of me after the cliff?" She said as they entered the forest, "That's where we're going." Max neighed again. That was all the direction the horse needed. Clods of dirt were thrown up from his hooves as they pounded down forest paths that Eugena at first didn't recognize. It wasn't until they jumped a fallen tree, that she saw they were following the same path the Guards had followed when chasing her two days ago.

 _Has it really only been barely three days since I met Rapunzel_? She thought absently. It seemed like so much longer. Another lifetime. Eugena smiled a little ruefully. _Actually it_ _ **was**_ _another lifetime. I was a completely different person back then. Flynn Rider would never have cared to go rescuing a girl from a backstabbing mother, but Eugena Fitzherbert sure as Hell does._ The smile turned grim and determined. _And will!_

Trees rushed pass in a blur as girl and horse ran through the forest. Sooner than she thought they would, Eugena could see the rock wall and the ivy curtain covering the tunnel to Rapunzel's tower. Only now did Max begin to slow down a hair. Eugena nudge him with her heels, letting go of the reins with one hand to point ahead of them.

"No, through the ivy." She said. The horse turned his head just enough to look at her questioningly. " _Trust_ me, Max!"

Whether or not Maximus actually trusted her, he at least believed in her enough to. He gave an _oh all right_ whiney and picked up speed again, running right for what he probably believed was a solid rock wall.

Eugena, of course, knew better.

She ducked her head a little to keep the ivy from lashing her face as they barrelled through. The tunnel echoed with the sounds of Max's hooves and within seconds they were on the other side. There was the tower looking much like it had the first time she had seen it except that the little pocket valley was in shade from the clouds that had formed at some point. Maximus galloped right for it.

As they reached the base of the tower, Eugena jumped from Max's back without waiting for the horse to come to a stop. She ran the last few steps on her own feet. Looking up, she could see that the shutters of the window were closed. " _Rapunzel?_ " she called and when she got no answer she cupped her hands around her mouth. " _Rapunzel, let down your hair!_ "

It seemed like a ridiculous thing to ask, but Eugena knew it was the easiest way _out_ of the tower so it had to be the same for getting _in_. She held her breath, waiting. But nothing happened. _Okay, maybe she just doesn't want to talk to me,_ she thought. She didn't want to contemplate the possibility that Rapunzel wasn't there. She had to be. _Even if she doesn't, I'm going up there. I_ _ **have**_ _to make sure… I have to_ _ **tell**_ _her…_

Mind made up, Eugena rushed to the bottom of the tower. One way or another she was going to climb this tower even if she had to do it with her bare hands. She dug her fingernails into the cracks between the stones and started to climb. She only got about a foot or so off the ground when a most hoped for sound reached her ears.

The creak of those wooden shutters opening.

Eugena looked up, brushing her hair out of her face. At some point in that wild ride, the tie she used to keep it contained had gotten lost. Like an answer to her prayers, the long golden fall of Rapunzel's hair appeared. It tumbled down to her, just like she had seen that moment before Rapunzel left her tower two days ago. Eugena grinned in relief, dropped back to the ground, and grabbed the end of the hair. Just like using a real rope, she scrambled up its length hand over hand. In no time at all, it seemed, she reached the top of the tower.

Reaching the window, she transferred her grip to the wooden sill and used that to haul herself through. "Rapunzel, I thought I'd never see you again." She said breathlessly as she climbed inside. Only when her feet were on the floor did she look up, expected to see her beloved waiting for her.

What she saw was not at all what she expected.

Across the room, chained to the far wall with a gag around his mouth, was a young man. A young man with Rapunzel's green eyes, Rapunzel's long blonde hair, and wearing Rapunzel's dress.

"Huh?" she muttered as she stared in shock. The man cried out a muffled warning through his gag, but whatever he was trying to warn her about, it was too late. Fire erupted in Eugena's side as a knife was plunged in. The hand holding that knife twisted it before yanking it out again. Eugena gave a gasping groan of pain as her knees buckled and she collapsed onto the floor, pressing her hands against the freely bleeding wound and curling around it.


	20. Tears Of The Sun's Flower

**AN:** There're a couple of details that I've added to this scene that aren't in the movie. Mostly because this _is_ a Disney movie and geared more towards children. But I figured that an injury such as Eugena's would be a lot worse than just bloody clothing.

* * *

Rupert thought he knew fear. He thought he knew what righteous anger and heart-break felt like. He had felt all three over the previous two days. But it was nothing compared to what he felt at the sight of Gothel's expression when Eugena called out for Rapunzel to 'let down your hair'.

The only way to describe it was vicious.

It was a brief flash of rage that quickly turned coldly calculating. "Well it seems your little thief is more tenacious than I thought." she said, shooting a sly smirk in Rupert's direction. He glared back over the gag that was tied over his mouth. When he had come to that morning, he had found himself gagged and chained to the support post next to the door to Gothel's room. The woman's smirk widened just a hair as she continued "What do you think, flower? I believe we should let her up here. Give her the _surprise_ of her life… however short it will be."

For one second he was confused. He could figure out what Gothel meant by the surprise part, but what could she possible mean by the second part. But then he saw the glint of steel from the dagger in Gothel's hand and he knew. He tried to yell a warning as Gothel gathered up his hair and tossed it out the window only to have it come out far too muffled by the gag.

Gothel retreated into the shadows next to the window casement. Rupert hoped, prayed, that Eugena wouldn't do it. Wouldn't climb his hair. That she would suspect that something was wrong. But it was too much to hope for. He could feel the pull from Eugena as she started the long climb. Unlike all those times that he had hoisted Gothel up the tower, Rupert wasn't able to brace against her weight and he winched in pain from the pull on his hair.

Even though he knew how fast Eugena could climb, it was far sooner than he thought when he saw her hands appear on the windowsill. She hauled herself through the window. "Rapunzel, I thought I'd never see you again." She said breathlessly as she stood up and only then looked up. Her eyes widened in shock and confusion. "Huh?"

Rupert knew why as to the confusion, but he was far more concerned by the danger she was in. "Eugena, look out!" he tried to cry, but just like before his gag prevented the words from coming out. And then it was too late. Gothel came up behind the girl silently and, before Eugena even knew she was there, the older woman plunged the dagger into Eugena's side.

As she collapsed to the floor, Rupert again tried to yell her name. _No, no, no! Eugena!_ Rupert thought as he strained against the chains locked around his wrists only to be yanked back down by the short length. Panic filled him as she curled around the bleeding wound.

"Now look what you've done, Rapunzel." Gothel said, gesturing carelessly to the bleeding girl at her feet. Then she smirked again and stepped right over Eugena as if she were nothing more than an inconvenient pile of rubbish. Eugena wasn't able to do anything but writhe on the floor in obvious pain. Gothel continued, "Oh, don't worry, _dear_. Our secret will die with her."

Rupert barely heard her. He was focusing all his will on trying to reach Eugena. He _needed_ to help her. He had to _save_ her. It was his fault that she was now dying in front of his eyes. The muscles in his shoulders protested the strain as his bare feet slipped on the cold tiles of the floor. Rupert didn't stop protesting even if his words were muffled by the gag. He completely ignored Gothel as she walked passed him to where she had wrapped the long end of the chain around the post.

The chain clinked and rattled from Rupert's struggles. There was a click as Gothel released the end. "And as for us… hmph!" she said, "We are going where no one will _ever_ find you _again_."

Rupert lunged forward as the chain released, only to be yanked back again, this time by Gothel. She started pulling him away from Eugena and towards the trapdoor in the floor of the tower. Rupert tried to dig his feet in, tried to pull harder on the chain, but between a long night spent unconscious on the cold floor and the unfamiliarity of his real body, he wasn't able to do much against Gothel. Distantly he could hear Pascal's growl behind him. There was an irritated grunt from Gothel and the sound of her boot hitting something small.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Rupert saw Pascal go flying across the room to hit the pillar next to the window beyond where Eugena lay. The little chameleon didn't get up or even move after dropping to the rug next to the window. _No! Not Pascal too!_ Rupert thought. The sight of his best friend hitting the wall gave Rupert renewed spirit to fight against Gothel.

And he could tell that she was getting fed up with all of this. It showed easily in her voice as she said, "Rapunzel, really! Enough already!" They were now next to the trapdoor. Rupert glared over his shoulder as he twisted and pulled against Gothel's hold. She finally snapped, "Stop fighting me!"

"No!" Rupert cried as Gothel's hold on the chain slipped a little and he fell to the floor. He landed awkwardly, twisting about in his half seated position to look back at his captor. By using his shoulder he had managed to get the gag loose enough to slip down around his neck. "I won't stop! For every minute for the _rest_ of my life, I will _fight_! I will never _stop_ trying to get away from _you_!"

As he panted for breath, Rupert suddenly knew what he had to do. It would be the toughest choice he had ever made. Behind him, Eugena was still bleeding on the floor. She couldn't have much time left. There was only one way he could think of to save Eugena, for he couldn't imagine going on living knowing that she wasn't.

He had to make a deal with Gothel.

Rupert took a deep breath and continued before Gothel could say anything. "But if you let me save her, I will go with you." Gothel's eyes narrowed at that. The hands holding the end of his chain relaxed just a little. He wasn't sure, but it looked like she might be listening.

"No! No, Rapunzel." Eugena wheezed painfully behind him. Rupert did the hardest thing ever and ignored her, keeping his eyes solely on Gothel.

"I'll never run. I'll never try to escape." He said as calmly as he could, even though his heart was breaking with each word. It would kill him to remain this woman's prisoner for the rest of his life, but surely it would be worth it just knowing that Eugena was still alive somewhere. "Just let me heal her and you and I will be together, _forever_ , just like you want. Everything will be the way it was." And he would do it too. He would submit to whatever spell or potion she had used to turn him back into Rapunzel if he had to. "I _promise_. Just like you want."

With that, Rupert knew he was sealing his own fate. He knew that Gothel knew he wouldn't break his promise. Staring up at Gothel, he watched as her silver-grey eyes narrowed further. She was clearly thinking over the deal he had offered. But Rupert feared that she would take too long to come to a decision. He needed her to agree right now before it was too late for Eugena. "Just. Let. Me. _**Heal**_. Her." He pleaded, enunciating each word slowly for emphasis.

Gothel flicker her gaze over his head to where Eugena was. Rupert didn't dare look just yet. The woman stared at the injured girl for what seemed like forever. Finally she looked back at him and sneered. "All right. If the wench means that much to you." She bent swiftly and unlocked the manacles from his wrists. Before Rupert could do anything she grabbed his shoulder, squeezing painfully. "But I think I'm going to add my own little insurance on that."

She shoved hard enough that Rupert was barely able to catch himself before hitting the floor with his face. She walked passed him. Rupert, a jolt of fear for Eugena going through him, spun around. But before he could move further, Gothel had slung the long end of the chain around the newel at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to what was once Rapunzel's bedroom and was already standing over his beloved. Eugena had managed to get up on her knees with her head down, her loose hair hiding her face. She was holding herself up with her right arm while clutching at her wounded side with the other. It took a moment for the girl to notice Gothel, but when she did, she looked up. She bared her teeth at Gothel in a look of grim determination that was also clearly mixed with the pain she was suffering.

Sneering back, Gothel put one daintily booted foot on Eugena's left shoulder and used it to shove the girl backwards. Rupert jumped to his feet, heart in his mouth. Eugena fell back against the newel, her face blanching white as she gasped in pain. Before either she or Rupert could do anything, Gothel crouched next to the fallen girl. She grabbed Eugena's right hand and locked one of the shackles around her wrist. Yanking the trapped arm towards her, Gothel hissed "In case you get any ideas about following us." She stood up, still holding Eugena's arm by the shackle. She let it dangle for a second before letting go.

Eugena coughed weakly as her hand landed right over top of her wound. Gothel walked away and Rupert ran to take her place.

"Eu- Eugena!" he cried, dropping to his knees beside her. He cupped her face with both hands. Eugena gasped for breath and coughed again as she struggled to sit up against the newel. The movement jarred her wound. She cried out, covering it with both hands. Rupert bit his lip as he pushed aside one hand and lifted the other, the buckles on her jerkin already partly undone, to get his first real look at her injury. "Oh…"

It was as bad as he feared. Eugena's jerkin was soaked with blood as was the white shirt she wore under it. Rupert had never seen so much blood before. For one second he wondered if he _did_ have the power to heal such a serious injury. He had never done anything on this scale before. Making Gothel young again and healing small cuts and bruises, yes, but he had never faced anything to this degree.

But this was Eugena. He _had_ to save her. It was his fault she was like this. "I'm so sorry. Everything is going to be okay, though." Rupert quickly turned and gathered up part of his hair, intending to place it over the wound. But Eugena put up her free hand, blocking him.

"No, Rapunzel." She gasped weakly, pushing his hands away. Rupert wished he could tell her his real name, but there wasn't any time. So, he ignored her protests.

"I promise. You have to trust me." He said as he tried again to cover her bleeding side with his hair, only to have her push it away. Her hand was weaker this time. Frightfully so.

Eugena coughed, a red foam staining her lips, and again protested "No…"

He didn't like the way that cough was sounding, nor the grey tinge that was starting to colour her face. He couldn't understand why she was trying to stop him. She obviously realized that he was the same person as Rapunzel; she had been using that name after all. And so she knew his hair could save her. "Come on. Just breathe." He urged, wanting her to save her strength.

"I can't let you do this…" Eugena said as she shook her head, her voice getting weaker. Rupert's heart ached. So she also knew what fulfilling his deal with Gothel will mean. That he was trading his freedom for her life. And that it would mean the two of them would be ripped apart from each other.

"And I can't let you _die_." Rupert's voice cracked on the last word, something he had never experienced before.

Eugena's warm brown eyes were filled with pain as she looked up at him. "But… if you do this… then _you_ will die." She gasped out, coughing. Rupert cupped her cheek with one hand, shushing her. He ran his thumb over her mouth, wiping away the bloody foam. It warmed him a little that she might still love him even if now he was a man.

But there it was. Out in the open. The bald truth that once he saved her life, Rupert would likely cease to exist. He would go back to being Rapunzel or maybe not even that. Gothel might choice to wipe everything and create a new persona, a new mask for _her_ flower.

But in a way, Rupert wasn't afraid of losing himself again, even though he had only just realized the truth. All that mattered was that _she_ would survive. That Eugena would be able to go on. Fulfill her dream of her own island maybe. Forget him and maybe find someone else to love, though that thought broke his heart for he was sure _he_ would never forget her for as long as some vestige of him existed. He put on as brave of a smile as he could, though tears clogged his throat. "Hey, it's going to be all right."

It was a lie. He knew it and he could see that she did as well. _Nothing_ about this was 'all right' for either of them. All the fight seemed to go out of Eugena. There was a look of resignation on her face. Rupert's heart twisted. He prayed that he wasn't too late. As lightly as he could, he set his hair across Eugena's bleeding side. He closed his eyes, bowed his head, and opened his mouth to begin the healing song.

"Rapunzel, wait." Eugena whispered, the fingers of her shackled hand brushing Rupert's cheek. It was so like she had done the night before on the boat. She even brushed back some of his hair from his face just like then. Rupert looked up. There was a plea in her eyes. _A request,_ he thought, _for a kiss? We never got ours on that boat and there might not be another chance._

Rupert started to lean in and started to close his eyes, but just then he saw something. Eugena mouthed two words. _Forgive me._ And instead of cupping the back of his head like before, Eugena's hand wrapped around his hair at the base of his neck. She lunged up. There was a ripping sound, a little like fabric being torn.

And suddenly the weight of all of Rupert's hair was gone!

Eugena collapsed back against the banister, the shard of mirror glass she had used to cut off Rupert's hair falling from her right hand. Rupert sat up, shocked by her sudden actions. One hand flew to his newly shorn hair, the cut ends prickling his palm. He could _feel_ it turn from blond to brown.

"Eugena…" He was stunned. She had cut his hair. She had cut off _all_ his hair! How was he going to save her now? He picked up the end of the cut portion from where it had fallen across Eugena's legs.

"NO!" shrieked Gothel.

The hair in Rupert's hands darkened and turned just as brown as that one lock of hair he had always had, as brown as the rest of the hair on his head. The colour rapidly shot down the long length just like the golden glow used to. Rupert followed the change with his eyes, slowly turning his head.

Gothel gathered up the far end of the hair, bundling it in her arms as she blubbered "No!" over and over. The brown reached the hair she had gathered and in that moment she began to age rapidly. Her hair went from jet black to white. Her skin became like parchment. Age spots and wrinkles appeared. Looking down at all the signs of age that the magic of the sun's flower, of Rupert's hair, had held at bay for so many years, Gothel shrieked, "What have you done?! _What have you_ _ **done**_ _!?_ "

For one moment, Rupert thought she might draw that dagger again and attack. But instead, she scrambled over to the fallen broken mirror. She had gone incoherent with rage and, to Rupert's surprise, no little fear. She kept sobbing "No! No! No. No!" As if unable to stand her appearance, Gothel pulled the hood of her cloak up over her head, pulling until it covered her face as well.

Rupert found he could only watch as Gothel staggered blindly about the tower room. He couldn't have moved if his life depended on it. That is until she backed towards the open window. Something happened. He wasn't exactly sure what. Whether she lost her balanced or tripped, whichever it was he thought Pascal might have had a hand in it when Rupert thought about it later, but the next thing that happened, Gothel wind-milled her arms and fell out the window.

No matter how much he hated her, how much Gothel had done to destroy everything dear to Rupert; he just knew she didn't deserve to fall to her death. Rupert reached out to Gothel.

But it was too late.

He could hear Gothel scream as she fell. It went on and on for what seemed like forever before fading. And then there was silence. Not even the thud of Gothel's body hitting the ground seventy feet below. Nothing. Only the harsh sound of Rupert's own breathing.

 _She's gone._ He thought in a daze. _She's really gone._ Gothel was gone forever, just like his hair and the magic it contained was gone the moment that Eugena cut it. Gone just like… That was all it took to remind Rupert. _Eugena!_

He gasped and spun around. Eugena was right where she had collapsed, sprawled on the floor and eyes closed. She was a terrible ashen colour and absolutely still. He wasn't even sure she was still breathing. "No, no, no, no, no. Eugena." he pleaded as he lifted her onto his knees. Eugena coughed a couple of times after a moment and barely cracked open one eye. Nothing more. Panic surged inside Rupert at how weak that cough was, for all it was a sign she was still alive. He ran a hand over her cheek as he cried, "No! Look at me. Look at me! I'm right here. Don't go! Stay with me, Eugena!"

Snatching up her shackled hand, Rupert pressed it into his short hair and started singing. " _ **Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine.**_ " His voice cracked all over the place as he sang, causing him to hit all the wrong notes.

"Rapunzel…" Eugena whispered, "Hey…"

" _ **Make the clock reverse.**_ " Rupert wasn't going to give up. There _had_ to be some magic left! He just couldn't imagine it ending like this. " _ **Bring back what once was mine!**_ "

The hand he held tightened in his hair, tugging a little. "Rapunzel…" Eugena repeated a little louder.

Rupert bit back a sob, clutching her hand tightly. "What?"

"You were… my new dream…" Eugena said weakly, her eyes barely open now. Rupert's throat closed on hearing that. Though she had probably meant Rapunzel was her new dream, Rupert wanted to believe she might mean him as well. All he could think of was the night before on the boat, when they had been waiting for the lanterns to rise. Eugena had said that he would find a new dream when his old one was completed. It seemed that dreams could change even if they didn't come true. Her dream of an island had changed, but it too wouldn't be able to come true.

"And you were mine." He whispered back, knowing that these would be their last words. There was no more magic, Eugena had seen to that when she had cut his hair. So there was no way for him to save her. Eugena was dying and it was only a matter of time. The corners of her lips curled into the faint semblance of a smile, as if that was what she was waiting to hear, and she closed her eyes completely.

Eugena exhaled once.

And was gone.

Rupert thought he knew grief. What he had felt when he believed that Eugena had betrayed him certainly felt like it, but that paled to what he was now feeling. It felt like his heart, his _soul_ had been ripped in half. It hurt. It _hurt_ so much. He didn't know how something could hurt so much and still go on beating, living.

Rupert didn't know what he should do or how to even _be_ without her. He imagined that he should leave and go home to Corona, but he just couldn't bring himself to move. Tears blurred his vision and his throat closed. Gently he pressed his lips to the back of the hand he held before setting it down. The metal manacle clinked on the stone tiles.

 _It's not fair. It's not_ _ **fair**_ _!_ He thought, _This isn't how it's supposed to end. Not like this._ It felt wrong that it would go this way just when they _should_ be having their 'happily-ever-after'. And it seemed doubly cruel that Eugena should die like this, in chains. It wasn't right. He almost wished that their roles could have been reversed. That _he_ was the one to die instead of _her_. But only almost. Because then it would be Eugena mourning him and feeling this much pain. _Fate or Destiny, whichever brought her here, please don't take her away._

But it seemed that Fate and Destiny weren't interested in listening to Rupert.

He continued to sit on the floor of the tower, just holding the body of his beloved. Though sunlight streamed in the window behind him, it felt thin and meager. He paid no attention to the Outside. There was nothing out there that was as important to him as the girl who had given up her life for him.

" _ **Heal what has been hurt.**_ " Rupert sang softly, cupping Eugena's still face. " _ **Change the Fates' design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine**_ **.** " Squeezing his eyes shut, Rupert rested his forehead against hers and forced out, " _ **What once was mine.**_ " Only then did he let the tears that had been threatening fall.

With eyes closed and lost in his grief, Rupert never saw the tear that fell onto Eugena's cheek. Nor did he see the tiny spark of golden light that appeared as it was absorbed. It was only when a bigger, brighter flare lit up that he finally took notice.

Rupert lifted his head and turned to look, at first hoping beyond hope that there was one last spark of magic in his shorn off hair that had responded to his song. To his surprise it wasn't that at all. There was light, the same kind of golden light that his hair had once had, but it was coming from the wound in Eugena's side! Rupert's eyes widened.

Thin tendrils of light, a bit like hair but more like vines, curled up from the girl's side. They spread out to nearly fill the tower room with their golden light. The light surrounded both Rupert and Eugena. He could almost feel something like a summer breeze lift the short ends of his hair. And from all this light there appeared the image of a flower.

A _magic golden_ flower.

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the lights condensed suddenly into a single point and withdrew into Eugena's wound. Into the wound that was no more. Rupert reached out to check, but there was no sign at all of the terrible injury. Even the blood and the tear in Eugena's shirt and jerkin were gone. _Could… could it be?_ He thought hopefully. Tucking a strand of short hair behind an ear, he looked anxiously to Eugena's pale face.

Only it was no longer so horribly pale. There was colour returning to her cheeks. Rupert's heart leapt with joy as she shifted in his arms and slowly blinked her eyes open.


	21. Waking To The New Dream

**AN:** Whew! Almost done! Just a couple more chapters I think. I will admit that this chapter probably seems much like my story _Crossroads_. I tried to make it different enough.

* * *

In a way, Eugena had always half known that she would die young. It was all just a matter of how, really. Would she die of the cold or starvation? Or would it be at the end of a rope or by a blade? She rather hated that the last had been the truth. Still bleeding out on floor of a tower in the arms of someone who loved her was maybe slightly better than doing the same in a dark alley or the back room of some seedy tavern. But that was only slightly.

Maybe her only regret was not being able to figure out how Rapunzel was also that man she had seen. It was obvious the two were the same. He had her hair and eyes and apparently the same powers. That other woman, the one who had to have been the mother had called the man by Rapunzel's name and he had not corrected Eugena when she had done the same. And Eugena hadn't hesitated in giving up her life to free him from that horrible bargain he had made with his mother.

 _You were my new dream._ She had told him. Whether Rapunzel _was_ really a man, Eugena still loved him. And it had seemed that he had loved her back for he had replied with, _And you were mine._

If only she could have survived. It might have been nice to get to know this new Rapunzel, or whatever his real name was.

She was standing on the edge of a small city or large town; the buildings and the people she could see were completely colourless and faded around the edges. There was no colour at all, not even black and white; only shades of gray. The same was true for her as she found out when she looked down at herself. At least there was no sign of the fatal wound in her side.

Eugena quickly realized that death was… rather boring. The people she could see were only wandering about aimlessly as far as she could tell. Some would look in her direction, but nothing more. If this was all there was, Eugena seriously contemplated finding whoever was in charge and lodging a complaint.

At that moment, a heartbreakingly familiar voice spoke up. " _There you are. I've been looking for you, Eugena._ "

"Mama?" Eugena gasped. She turned to see that it was her mother, looking just like she had before she had fallen ill and died. Long hair neatly braided and coiled around her head like a crown, her clothing a simple skirt, blouse, bodice, and apron, and eyes that, while as colourless as everything else here instead of as brown as Eugena's, were still as warm as a hug. "Mama!" As she threw her arms around her mother, Eugena felt like she was four again.

Her mother hugged her back just as tightly. " _Oh, my dear. I've missed you too and so happy for this chance to see you if only for a little._ " She pulled back and looked Eugena over. " _I am_ _ **so**_ _proud of the fine young woman you've become. Look at you. You remind me so much of your father._ "

Eugena would have blushed if she could. Hearing that her mother was proud of who she had become surprised her a little, especially considering all the things she had done as Flynn Rider. Then part of what her mother had said caught up with her. "What do you mean 'only for a little'? I don't understand."

" _Ah, that's because you aren't staying, love. You have to go back._ " Her mother replied with a bemused smile. That made Eugena blink.

"But I can't…" Eugena protested. "I died. I'm dead."

Her mother's smile widened. " _Yes, you are, but you also have something that very few ever get. A True Love. And not even Death can stand in the way of_ _ **that**_ _. You have a fine young man waiting for you, Eugena._ " The smile turned a little sly, " _He's a fair strange man, but fitting, I think, for my fair strange daughter._ "

Eugena rolled her eyes at her mother's innuendo. "Mama…" she paused for a moment. "Mama, what about you?"

" _Don't you fret about me. I will happy knowing_ _ **you**_ _are happy._ " Her mother hugged her once more. " _And I_ _ **know**_ _you will be happy. Now go. Live your dream, Eugena._ "

A grin curled her lips at her mother's paraphrasing of Hookhand's comment when she and Rapunzel had snuck out of the Snuggly Duckling. Unlike the thug, it didn't seem likely her mother thought her new dream stunk. Eugena returned the embrace and whispered, "I will, Mama. I _will_!"

There was the brief sensation of moth's wings against her skin and everything around her faded away into nothingness. She felt for a moment like she was floating away. And then she opened her eyes in the real world again.

The first thing she saw was the blurry shape of someone leaning over her. Eugena blinked a few times to clear her eyes, mumbling, "Ra-Rapunzel…?"

The shape resolved itself into that of the young man with green eyes that she had risked all for. This male Rapunzel. "Eugena?" he whispered anxiously, sounding as if he couldn't quite believe what he had seen, had heard. Eugena had to wonder what had happened in those few moments she had been dead and what he had seen or done to bring her back.

As per usual on first waking up, Eugena's mouth worked faster than her brain. "Did I ever tell you I have a thing for brunets?" she asked with a tiny smile.

"Eugena!" He laughed, breaking into that same gleeful grin she had seen so many times on Rapunzel's face. He hauled her onto his knees and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Eugena hugged back with one arm as the chain binding her right hand was too short to reach. As he buried his head against her shoulder, she could feel him trembling. Or was it her? She did feel a little wobbly and light-headed.

After a moment they pulled apart. Eugena got her first real look at him. She had been too surprised before and then in too much pain. She had to admit that, as a man, Rapunzel was quite handsome. _Well, I can't keep calling him Rapunzel in my head_ , she thought and opened her mouth to ask that all important question.

Only to have him give a little smirk and cover her mouth with his.

The kiss was completely unexpected and inexperienced, which Eugena supposed shouldn't have been a surprise. Hers wasn't much better when she had gathered her wits enough to return the kiss. And considering that they had already gone through two failed attempts at a first kiss, it was no wonder that he took advantage of the opportunity to finally get one.

Not that Eugena was going to complain.

It was when they finally came up for air the second time that Eugena was finally able to ask her question. "So… Is this a new thing? This being a guy? Because I could swear you weren't before."

He gave a self-conscious chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck, which turned to tugging at the ends of his now short hair. "Yeah… It's new. Bit of a shock for you, I guess."

"It's been one shock after another since the day I met you, Rapunzel." Eugena teased playfully.

"You know," he replied, "that's not my name. Not my _real_ name." His expression turned to the same one from the night of their campfire. The nervous one that said, _please don't freak out_. "My real name is Rupert."

Eugena giggled, partly for that worried expression and partly because the first thing that popped into her head was to ask, "You mean to tell me that you were named after the Lost Heir?"

Rupert didn't laugh or chuckle. "I _am_ the Lost Heir." He answered slowly. In fact, he looked like he was fully expecting her to react just like she had after the display of magic hair.

Eugena's eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened. For a moment she was sure that the near hysterics she had felt when she learned about the magic hair would make a reappearance. She could almost feel it bubbling up inside her. But then… nothing.

She didn't 'freak out' at all.

She just sat there blinking for a long time. And the more she sat there, the more worried Rupert looked. Finally, after a few attempts to say something, she said rather dazedly "I think you broke more than Flynn's Smolder."

"What?!" Rupert yelped much in the same was Eugena had in the cave when it was revealed that her companion had magic hair that glowed when sung to. It was clear that he had not expected her to say _that_! Now he was looking at her as if he was questioning her sanity. The funny thing was that she was also doing the same.

"Because I'm not freaking out about this." She explained. "I _can't_ freak out. You broke my freaking out ability." She couldn't help but start laughing over the absurdity of it. She wasn't laughing at him, but at herself. Rupert continued to stare at her, which only made her giggles worse. Finally Eugena got control of herself and said "Sorry. It's… In a weird way, it makes _sense_. How did you figure it out?"

Rupert gave her that questioning look for a moment more before he answered. "It's kind of a long story." He looked down at his hands and then frowned a little. Finally he looked up. "But you tell me what happened to you first. Last night… I mean, I know _now_ you didn't mean to leave me, but what happened?"

Now it was Eugena's turn to look away. "I guess I do owe you an explanation. Fair enough. Last night when we were… on the boat…" For some reason she could not bring herself to say what had actually almost happened between them.

"When we almost kissed." Rupert interrupted wryly, obviously having no such issue. Eugena felt her cheeks redden a little.

"Yeah. That." she continued, fighting back the blush. "The reason I pulled back was… I saw something on the shore. Someone actually." She took a deep breath before asking "Do you remember the two guys I said didn't like me very much?"

The look he gave her was exactly the same one she had used at his freak out over the rabbit. "You said a lot of people didn't like you very much." He pointed out.

The fight against the blush colouring her face was a lost cause now. She held up one finger. "This is true, but I meant the first two. The red-heads." At his nod she went on. "Those are the Stabbington Brothers, my _former_ partners in crime. Before I found your tower, I tried to cut them out of the deal over the crown, left them to get arrested. That is why they didn't like me very much."

She went on to explain everything that had happened. Everything from her reasons for taking the satchel to her confrontation with the Stabbingtons. From what they had said and done to her arrest and imprisonment. Rupert listened silently right up until she got to the part about the Guards come to take her to the gallows.

"They _really_ were going to hang you?" he asked with a look of horror.

"Truth to tell, it's not like I don't deserve it." She said with a shrug, repeating the thought she had had at the time. Rupert looked to protest that but Eugena put up a hand to stop him. "I have been a thorn in the side of Corona for a _long_ time. Stealing the Lost Prince's cornet… your cornet… was just the last straw."

Rupert got a stubborn look on his face. " _Flynn Rider_ may have been a thorn, but you're not him."

"The Guards didn't know that. I wasn't exactly thinking clearly and hadn't bothered to enlighten them to the truth." She continued on before he could put in any more questions, quickly going over seeing the Stabbingtons in their cell, demanding answers of them, and then the spectacular escape planned out by Maximus and the thugs. "… then Max ran like lightening to get me here and well…" she shrugged again. "Now your turn. How did you get away from the Stabbingtons? And how did you figure everything out? And since that obviously wasn't your mother, who was she?"

"Her name was Gothel." Rupert answered the last question first. "She's the witch from the story you told me, the one who kidnapped me as a baby. Only it wasn't just for revenge on my parents. She had been using the magic of the flower to keep herself young for hundreds of years; and all by singing a special song. _Flower, gleam and glow_ …" he recited the rest of the words of the song slowly rather than singing it.

Eugena nodded in understanding and then made a face. "So she would sing to it and she would turn young? That's creepy."

Rupert chuckled a little at Eugena's bluntness. "Yeah, I guess so. So when the queen, my _real_ mother, took the potion made from the flower, its healing powers transferred to my hair. _That's_ why she stole me away. She had found her new magic 'flower' and this time she was determined to keep me hidden. That's why the tower, that's why all those horror stories" He looked away, waving a hand around at the room and then frowned a little. "I just can't think of _why_ she had to change me into a girl. I mean if she was going to raise me as her own child, couldn't she have raised me as a son?"

"She might have thought a girl was easier to control." Eugena suggested gently, putting a hand on his arm. It was likely that neither of them would ever learn the _real_ reason. Though to Eugena's mind that was probably the answer. "Generally girls are easier to frighten, easier to manipulate. It could be that she also didn't want the risk of you becoming stronger than her, physically."

"You aren't like that and you're a girl." Rupert pointed out.

Eugena decided to _not_ mention exactly how much he had manipulated her over the last few days. "That's why I said _generally_. Besides, I think you were stronger than her any way, boy or girl." That made him smile again, just a little. Eugena went on. "So what about the rest?"

Rupert then explained about what had happened on the beach with the Stabbingtons and how Gothel had 'rescued' him from them. He had to backtrack a bit to explain about Gothel showing up at the campfire while Eugena was off getting more firewood, what she had said to him and about giving him the satchel. He then apologised for ever telling Gothel Eugena's true identity. Eugena reassured him that it was okay, she understood and that she didn't blame him for doing so all things considered. Again she prompted him to explain about figuring out his real identity.

"That's all thanks to you." He said. At her confused expression he clarified. "The flag you gave me. It gave me the clue I needed. Here, I'll show you." Rupert jumped up and took her hand to pull Eugena onto her feet. Only for her to be brought up short by the chain still shackling her to the banister. "Oh! Uh…"

"Just give me a minute. I can get out of this." Eugena said, sitting down on the bottom step of the stairs. Judging from the slightly anxious look on Rupert's face as he glanced towards the window, it wasn't a good idea to suggest he go rifling through Gothel's body to find the key to the shackles. Thankfully Eugena had a solution. She reached into her shirt to where she hid her lock-picks. "It's a good thing the Guards never searched me. They would have gotten a _big_ surprise and I wouldn't still have these."

She held up the picks to show Rupert and then set to work on the lock. It took only a few moments to tickle the lock open. Rupert watched all of this with a look of complete fascination. When the manacle fell away he grinned. "You have to teach me how to do that. It looks very useful."

Eugena shot him a sideways look for a moment, thinking _Picking locks isn't a very Princely skill. Then again, I have the feeling that Rupert isn't exactly going to be the typical Prince._ She grinned back. "Sure thing."

He pulled her to her feet again and then dragged her up the stairs. At the top of the stairs was a set of russet curtains covering a doorway. And the room beyond was obvious what had been Rupert's bedroom. Or rather _Rapunzel's_ bedroom, for it was clearly that of a girl. Rupert went straight for the bed and picked up the crumpled bit of purple cloth that was sitting there. He handed the flag to Eugena.

"I was sitting here, looking at this. That's when I noticed something. Up there." He pointed to the ceiling and then looked at Eugena apprehensively.

She looked up as well, following his finger. At first she couldn't see what he wanting to show her in the myriad of paintings. Then she _did_ see it. The sun designs hidden among the artwork. Eugena's mouth dropped open as she looked back at Rupert. Slowly she said, "You've been painting the Corona Sun your whole life."

It wasn't a question, but he nodded. "Yeah. I'd never seen it before yesterday though. Or at least I thought I hadn't." he then went on to explain the memories of when he was a baby and seeing his parents in the mosaic in the market place. "… And then I remembered when I tried on the crown after I locked you in my closet…"

"Wait, you locked me in your closet?" Eugena interrupted, glancing at the white wardrobe set against one wall of the bedroom.

"Not that one. The one downstairs, although technically it _is_ a broom closet." Rupert explained. "Anyway, that's not important."

Eugena was struggling not to laugh. The idea that she had been locked in a closet was too much for her sense of the absurd. "Not important? _You_ locked me in a _broom_ closet!" She cried with mock indignation.

He gave her a sour look, though she could see he was trying not to grin either. "What else was I supposed to do with you? I thought you were dangerous. And a _man._ Can we please focus here?" She held up her hands in surrender and he continued, "As I was saying, when I looked in the mirror after putting the crown on, I saw me. The _real_ me, not the _girl_ me. That's when I realized why I had seen that. I couldn't believe it at first. How could a girl actually be a boy? I confronted Gothel about it and it was then that whatever she did to turn me into Rapunzel started to break down. I was switching back and forth until finally the spell was broken."

As Rupert spoke, Eugena sat down on the edge of the bed still holding the purple flag. It was starting to hit her now. Really hit her. The fact that the person she was in love with was actually the prince. And she was just a thief. After he finished she remained silent for a moment, looking down at the flag in her hands. Finally she said, "You know what this means, right? You have to go back." To her own surprise, she actually sounded calm and collected.

"Only if you go with me." Rupert replied, sitting next to her. He cupped her hands with his. "I can't go without you, Eugena. I _won't_."

Eugena wanted to protest. She had, after all just escaped from prison with the help of a group of thugs. The Guards weren't going to let her within _miles_ of the kingdom, let alone the castle. She wanted to tell him no, but she couldn't. He was giving her that determined stubborn look that, as Rapunzel, he had used to convince her to take him to see the lanterns in the first place. She sighed, giving up the fight.

"Well, first things first. We need to get you something else to wear." She said looking down at the dress he was still wearing. "Thought I don't know where from. Getting back to the kingdom is going to be hard enough and the only other place I can think of is the Snuggly Duckling. They might have something there we can borrow."

"What do you mean? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Rupert asked looking down at his dress. Eugena stifled a fit of giggles. The honestly confused expression on his face was just too adorable.

"You remember what I said about people making assumptions about _me_ because of what _I_ was wearing?" she asked pointedly. "Trust me, it's going to be hard enough to convince people you're the Lost Prince without your blond hair. You show up wearing a dress and they are going to think you're _crazy_."

Rupert looked thoughtful at that. "Oh. I guess so… But couldn't I wear your things instead? We're about the same size."

Eugena blinked at him for several moments. She suddenly wondered if other couples had this type of weird conversation. "If you're wearing my clothes, what am I supposed to wear?" she asked finally.

Rupert's brows furrowed for a moment and then his expression cleared. "I know." He jumped up from the bed and went over to the small white wardrobe. He rummaged around in it for a moment as Eugena watched from her seat on the bed. Finally he turned around with a length of blue cloth in his hands. "Here. You can wear this."

"Oh, no. No. _No._ " She said, staring at the outfit with something akin to horror. "Rupert, I am _not_ wearing one of your dresses." In the back of her mind she thought, _I can't believe I actually said that._

"It's not one of mine." He replied. Reading the look on her face correctly he hurriedly continued. "It's not one of _hers_ either. I mean it, I made it for Mo – Gothel, but she hated the colour and never wore it. I only kept it because I thought that I… Well, since I'm apparently not supposed to anymore…" He held out the dress for her again.

Eugena stared at the dress for a long moment like it was about to jump out and bite her. She wanted to protest. She really really did. Even though she hadn't worn a dress in _years_ , since even before she had become Flynn Rider, she still remembered hating them with a fiery passion. She _wanted_ to protest, but she knew it would only come out as a childish whine. Eugena glanced up from the dress to Rupert's face. And blinked.

He had the oddest expression on his face. Lips pouted, eyebrows raised, head tilted ever so slightly. And Eugena knew exactly what it was. Rupert was doing a version of the Smolder. And Eugena was far from beguiled by it.

"Stop, stop. Just stop. _Please_ stop making that face." She cried, waving her hands. Now it was Rupert's turn to blink at her. Eugena just shook her head. "I never realized how ridiculous the Smolder looked. I can't _believe_ that actually used to work."

Rupert chuckled. "It's good to know that I wasn't the only one who thought that. But does this mean you won't…"

Eugena sighed. Despite not falling for the Smolder and as much as she didn't _want_ to, she knew she was going to agree to wear the dress. Besides, any clothing the thugs might have to spare would _not_ be anything a Lost Prince should wear to meet his parents. This was likely their only option. "Give it here. And just so you know, I'm not doing this because I fell for the Smolder."

He smiled as she took the dress from him. She couldn't help but give a half-smile back. However when he didn't move to leave, Eugena cleared her throat rather pointedly. "Okay, first rule about being a man; Men and Women generally do not change in front of each other unless they are married. So shoo." Eugena nodded towards the curtained doorway. Even though Rupert would know exactly what a female body looked like, Eugena was not about to change with him in the room. She at least had _some_ modesty.

"Oh! Right, right." Rupert agreed readily and hurried out past the curtain.

Eugena set the dress on the bed and started stripping off her own clothing. She unbuckled both belts and pulled off the worn leather jerkin, but as she reached for the bottom of her shirt she noticed something. A small _chameleon_ shaped lump on the bed, the same colours and pattern as the bedspread. She raised an eyebrow at Pascal. "I don't think so."

Pascal squeaked a yelp in realization that his camouflage was not enough to hide him. Before he could run off, Eugena snatched him up. She walked over to the doorway and stuck her arm out through the curtain.

"Please take your peeping frog with you." She called to Rupert, her tone mostly amused. After a moment she felt the lizard be taken from her hand.

" _Pascal_!" Rupert cried. "Sorry."

She just shook and chuckled as she hurriedly changed clothes.


	22. Leave-taking

**AN:** Well, there's not much left. Instead of skipping right to the meeting with the king and queen, I wanted to tell a bit about how Rupert and Eugena actually get there.

 _Legacy G:_ I know, right! That really is the mystery of Tangled. I'm glad you've been enjoying my fics.

* * *

"I don't get it either, but if she doesn't want you in there," Rupert said to Pascal, who was sitting on his palms. "I guess she does have the right." Pascal just chirruped _I guess so_ , though he didn't look convinced. Rupert shrugged and let the little chameleon climb up onto his usual perch on his shoulder. He was relieved that his friend hadn't suffered any major damaged from being kicked across the room at least.

Rupert stood at the edge of the landing outside his bedroom and looked down at the main tower room. It was a mess of broken mirror shards and tangled coils of his once blond hair. It bothered him to see it such a mess. By this time of the morning, just days ago, he would have had it cleaned several times over. All the chores he used to do, the little hobbies he had done, all the things he used to entertain himself with; it was strange to not be doing any of them.

Without really thinking about it, Rupert went down the stairs. At the bottom of the steps was a single mirror shard, larger and separated from the rest. The one that Eugena had used to cut his hair. Rupert sat down on the bottom stair and picked up the shard carefully. In it, he saw for the first time, his new changed face. Or at least the first real look he had had of it.

It was strange seeing himself as a man. Instead of the softer features of Rapunzel, they were sharper, more defined. And more so than Eugena's were. And it was weird seeing his hair so short; the ends just brushing his jawline. It looked just like it was, roughly chopped off with a broken bit of glass. The only thing that was the same was his eyes. They were still the bright green they had always been. Again, he remembered the mosaic from the day before. With brown hair, he looked a great deal like the king. Except he had his mother's, his _real_ mother's, eyes.

But on the whole, he rather liked the way he looked now.

Rupert glanced at Pascal. "Sure is different, isn't it?" he said. Pascal nodded, but gave him an encouraging look. Rupert smiled and stood up. He set the mirror shard on the table next to the stairs and started gathering up the long trail of formerly blond hair that snaked around the room. After coiling it up, Rupert set the bundle on the table as well. Then he picked his way carefully across the room to get the broom to sweep up the rest of the broken mirror.

He smiled a little as he pulled the broom from the blue wardrobe, remembering Eugena's reaction to finding out she had been once been locked inside this closet. Now that he thought about it, that whole process had been rather funny. Just as he set about sweeping the floors, there was the sound of Eugena clearing her throat.

Rupert looked up and he felt his mouth drop open. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Pascal doing the same on his shoulder. Eugena stood at the top of the stairs, now wearing the blue dress.

"You look… beautiful." Rupert mumbled.

And she did. Though it hadn't been, that dress could have been _made_ for Eugena. It fit her like a glove; the bodice and sleeves clung to her arms and body, the skirt falling just short of her ankles. The neckline was a modest one, but Eugena certainly had more of a figure than Rapunzel had had. Not as vivid as Gothel's though. She had retained the belt and pouch from her own clothing and the hem of the skirt was short enough to reveal she had also kept her boots.

"Really?" she asked shyly, something he wouldn't have expected from her. Eugena fidgeted with the edge of the skirt. Rupert could see her cheeks were a little pink. "You don't think I look like just Flynn Rider wearing a dress?"

Rupert shook his head. "No. Flynn Rider could never make that dress look as good as you do." He answered honestly. She smiled at that and then, as she started down the stairs, he continued without thinking, "I didn't even know you _had_ a figure."

Eugena stopped on the bottom step and looked at him with eyebrows raised. "Wow…" she said slowly and then smiled to take the sting out of her words. "Okay, Rupert, word of advice. Never _ever_ mention a girl's figure. Trust me it's a very bad idea. _I_ know you meant it as a compliment, but most other women won't."

"Oh…" Rupert furrowed his brow as he tucked that away in him mind. "I guess I've got a lot to learn about being a man."

"Not so much. Probably more about how to be a prince." Eugena replied. She took the final step off the stairs. "Your turn now."

"Okay." Rupert handed the broom and Pascal to Eugena before going up the stairs. Back in his room, he saw that Eugena had left the shirt, jerkin, and breeches lying on the bed. He quickly stripped off his dress and changed. It was strange to say the least. Part of it was that he was now wearing Eugena's clothing, but most of it was the fact that it was weird to be wearing men's clothing.

Though he could instantly see the advantages of it over dresses.

That didn't stop him from fidgeting with the fit of the tunic as he returned to the main tower room. He didn't have to clear his throat to get Eugena's attention. She looked up and smiled almost as soon as he had stepped through the curtain. Perched on her shoulder, Pascal gave Rupert a thumbs-up gesture. She didn't look as stunned as he had felt when she had stepped out, but she did seem to approve.

"You look great, goldie." She said as he joined her on the main floor. Rupert noted that she was holding the broom in a way that suggested she hadn't the first clue what to do with it. Eugena continued, "I'm a little miffed though. You wear that better than Flynn ever did. Much better than skirts, right?"

That made Rupert laugh a little. He didn't mind the nickname, even though he wasn't blond anymore. "I would say you have a point about that." Rupert looked around the main room of the tower and suddenly realized that this was it. He was about to leave the only home he had known his entire life and this it would be for good. Doubt crept in. "I guess we should go." He said, trying to sound firm, but only for his words to come out hesitant.

Eugena nodded slightly and looked around as well. "Is there anything you want to take?"

"Should I?" he asked instead of answering. It didn't seem right to just toss aside eighteen years' worth of memories and mementos. He also knew that there was no way they could take all of it with them. And just like when he had contemplated throwing away the flag because it reminded him of Eugena's 'betrayal' then realising that he didn't want to because of the good memories, this was the same. There _were_ good memories from his life as Rapunzel.

"I'm not exactly the best person to ask." Eugena answered. She leaned the broom against the banister and took his hands. "I was perfectly willing to drop everything from _my_ past to become Flynn Rider after all. You don't have to follow my example. I'll tell you what, though. This place is pretty well hidden. You could leave things for now and if you want anything later, we can always come back for it."

That sounded like good advice. "Then that's what I think I want to do." Rupert said. He hadn't missed the fact that she wasn't _telling_ him what to do like Gothel always had. Instead Eugena was giving her opinion and letting him make up his own mind.

Together they went over to the trapdoor. Before they descended down the once hidden stairs, Rupert grabbed a couple of candles to light their way. He lit them and handed one to Eugena. During that, Pascal took the opportunity to transfer from Eugena to Rupert. She went first down the ladder to the first landing of the stairs.

Before following her, Rupert took a final look around. _Well… Goodbye,_ he thought, _for now at least_.

The walk down the stairs was silent at first. The dim light from their candles reminded Rupert of walking through the tunnel under the Snuggly Duckling. Only without the dusty skeletons and Guards chasing them. The stairs followed the curved walls of the tower, spiraling downwards.

"I guess I own you an apology." Rupert said part way down. Eugena paused to look back at him with an incredulous expression. Rupert smiled a little. "I lied. I told you that there weren't any stairs to get out of the tower."

Eugena gave a snort of laughter. "Don't worry, I won't hold it against you." She replied. "After all I lied about the Snuggly Duckling being a quaint place and perfect for you."

Rupert protested, "But it _was_ a very quaint place. And the guys were very nice."

"To you, maybe. Me, they tried to beat up." Eugena pointed out as she turned forward again. She took another step down and paused once more. "I never did thank you for that. Or any of the other times you saved me."

"You don't need to thank me. Besides you saved me too." Rupert replied. "We'd better hurry up. Maximus must be waiting."

Eugena laughed and continued down the narrow stairs, one hand holding the candle and the other bracing against the wall. "Of course, we mustn't disappoint the horse. I can't wait for him to laugh at me."

Rupert rolled his eyes. He knew Eugena was only joking, but he had to wonder if he would always have to be the peace-maker between the former thief-girl and the guard horse. "I told you he's just a big sweet-heart. Why would he laugh at you?"

"He just will. I bet you anything." Eugena answered.

"Oh, anything?" he asked archly without thinking. Eugena didn't respond, but Rupert thought he could see the tips of her ears go red. Or maybe that was just the light from their candles. From his shoulder, Pascal made a rather surprised and admonishing squeak. When Rupert looked at his friend, the chameleon was giving him a chiding look which Rupert didn't quite understand.

They reached the bottom of the stairs. Since there was enough light streaming in through the once bricked-over opening, the two of them blew out the candles and let them on the bottom step. Rupert took Eugena's hand as they exited the tower and stepped into the bright sunlight.

Maximus must have been waiting or listening for some sign of his friends for the white stallion came eagerly at a canter around the side of the tower to greet them. He came to a sudden stop the moment he saw the small group, however to stare in shock. It was clear from the startled expression; the horse was completely confused as to what had been happening in the tower.

Eugena shot Rupert a smirk before setting her free hand on her hip and saying, in her Flynn voice, "What's the matter, Horse? Did we surprise you?" As Maximus looked her up and down suspiciously, she continued in her normal voice. "And I thought you were so smart! Don't tell me you didn't realize I was a girl the entire time. For shame, Max!"

Rupert could see Maximus was rather affronted by Eugena's teasing by the way the horse was pinning his ears back. Then he gave Rupert a sideways look that said, _If she's Flynn, who are you?_

"It's really me, Maximus. Only I'm not Rapunzel anymore." Rupert answered. He thought, _I have the feeling I'm going to be saying this a lot._ "I'm actually Rupert, the Lost Prince. It's kind of a long story. And if you were wondering about my hair, Eugena had to cut it off to save me. That's why it's brown now."

As he spoke, Maximus' eyes were getting wider and wider until Rupert had to wonder if they were going to pop out of their sockets. The poor horse looked so surprised by this new information. It didn't help that Eugena burst into laughter, bending over and holding her sides.

"Your face, Max!" she managed after a moment. In that time Maximus switched to glaring at her, something that Eugena either missed or, more likely, ignored. Finally she got a hold of herself. "And here I thought I was going to be the one being laughed at by _you_! I guess I owe you that…" she trailed off.

Rupert had stopped listening. Something on the ground almost out of sight around the base of the tower had caught his attention. A pile of black and gold fabric. He knew exactly what it was in an instant.

Gothel's cloak.

Even though a part of him didn't want to, he slowly walked over to it. It was clear by the way it was splayed out that it was empty. The only trace of Gothel was the fine layer of dust that had spilled out of the heavy folds. Rupert stood next to the cloak and swallowed hard.

 _She turned to dust. That's why I never heard her…_ he cut off the rest of that thought. Looking down at that cloak, he felt oddly numb. It wasn't that he felt joy at the fact that Gothel was dead, but he didn't feel any grief either. Yes, she was his kidnapper, but she had also been the only person he had known for most of his life. The truth was, Rupert had felt more grief over Eugena's death. In fact he was sure he would always carry that feeling whenever he thought about how close he had come to losing her. But for Gothel, there was nothing.

 _Why is that?_ Rupert wondered. A rather terrible thought occurred to him. _Am I just as cold-hearted as she was?_

" _I love you very much." "I love you more." "I love you most."_

To him, it seemed possible. For his entire life as Rapunzel, the only example of love that Rupert had was what he had thought was Gothel's love for her 'daughter'. Now he knew that it had actually been for the youth-restoring power in his hair. How, then, did he know what real love was?

Rupert was so mired in his thoughts that it startled him when Eugena took one of his hands in both of hers. When he turned to look, she didn't say anything. Only looked back at him with an expression of sympathetic understanding. Maximus stood behind her, looking at both of them.

He didn't know why, but, without thinking, he blurted out, "Do you love me?"

Eugena didn't blink and she didn't hesitate with her answer. She simply said, "Yes."

"Why?" Rupert asked after staring at her for a moment. "How? I'm not the same person you fell in love with. That was Rapunzel. I'm someone completely different. How – how can you still love me?" Even though he was desperate to know, he was just as afraid to hear Eugena's answer.

"I just do." She replied. When Rupert started to protest, she continued firmly, "Rupert, it wasn't your face or form, or even your hair, that I fell in love with. It was this." She placed one of her hands against his chest, over his heart. "It was that kind, caring, generous heart that you have. The one that could find the lost lonely little orphan girl inside Flynn Rider and get her to come out again. And it doesn't matter to me. Man or Woman. Blond or Brunet. _You_ are the one I love. Besides the heart doesn't follow any kind of sense anyway." She added with her usual grin.

All during Eugena's little speech; Rupert felt a sense of calm relief. It stilled the fears and worries. He wanted to reply in kind to her, but words failed him. Instead he did what felt best at that moment.

He kissed her again.

This one was like and unlike the one that had shared in the tower. It didn't have the desperate relief of their previous kiss, but it was just as intense if not more so. Rupert wondered briefly if he should have let Eugena kiss him first. However, she didn't seem to mind.

They remained like that for a long time, just revelling in the exploration of each other's mouths. But eventually they were interrupted and rather abruptly. By Maximus.

The horse shoved his nose between them, forcing Rupert and Eugena apart. There was a look of jaded irritation on his face now.

Eugena gave an exasperated sigh. "Okay, okay. We're done." She said to Maximus. Then she looked down at Gothel's cloak and back at Rupert. "Is there anything you want done about…?" She gestured at the fabric.

"I don't know." He answered. "It seems wrong to just leave it, but…" Now it was his turn to trail off.

Thankfully Eugena understood both his indecision and his reluctance to even touch that cloak. She squeezed his hand and nodded. Bending down, she folded the edges of the cloak in on itself until the dust of Gothel was bundled inside. Then she picked it up and carried it back inside the tower. Rupert stayed with Maximus, petting the horse's nose and scratching his ears. A moment later Eugena was back.

"There. Taken care of." She said. "Let's get you home."

Maximus nodded emphatically at that. He nudged Rupert around to his side with his nose. It was clear the horse was determined to have the privilege of carrying the Lost Prince back to Corona. There was one slight problem.

Rupert wasn't exactly sure how to go about getting on the stallion's back. Again Eugena came to his rescue without being asked.

"Just watch what I do." She said and grabbed the front and back of Maximus' saddle. But after putting her foot in the stirrup, she paused. "Actually, no. You won't be getting up like this at all. Not really." She pulled herself up, but before settling into the saddle she twisted about so she was sitting sideways with both legs on the same side.

Rupert tilted his head a little to the side as he looked up at her. "Wouldn't it make more sense to have a leg on either side? You look like you might fall off." He suddenly realized that maybe he shouldn't have said anything, judging by the wicked look in Maximus' eyes when the horse craned his head around to watch them. "Be nice, Maximus. Don't you even think about it." Rupert warned him.

Eugena looked like she was going to make a comment about the horse, but clearly held it back. Instead she said, "I feel like I'm going to fall off at any moment. Still, I'd rather not be showing off my bare legs to the entire kingdom. You, on the other hand, _can_ sit astride instead of aside." She held out her hand to him.

Though he took her hand Rupert used the back of the saddle to help get onto Maximus. It was a little awkward, but he managed. Thankfully Maximus waited patiently for Rupert to get settled before turning towards the tunnel out of the valley.

Just before they went through the tunnel, Rupert took one last look at his tower. He knew there was a likely chance that they would be back, if only to collect some of his things. Still, in a way, this felt like a good-bye. He lifted a hand from his hold on Eugena's waist to wave at the empty building.

A building now only filled with memories.

When he turned back, Eugena was looking back at him. "I'd offer a penny for your thoughts, but I'm kind of broke." She said, obviously trying to make a joke to cheer him up.

It worked and he chuckled. "That's okay. So am I. I was just thinking. You know, about the tower, what happened, what's going to happen."

"No regrets, right?" She asked

"I don't think so. I mean, so much has happened and so fast. Everything I've known has been turned upside down. But I don't think I regret it." He answered.

Eugena gave a little shrug. "Don't _ever_ regret any of it. I know I won't. Not even the bad stuff."

They both ducked as they came out through the ivy. "As long as we're together, I won't" Rupert replied with a smile.

The small group made their way through the forest in silence. Rupert found he didn't recognize the areas they were passing through. Not that he really _knew_ the forest beyond the tower's valley, but it didn't look quite like the places he and Eugena had travelled through two days ago.

 _I guess we were rather going the long way about._ He thought. _There was that side trip to the Snuggly Duckling. And I still think we got lost on the way there._ Thinking about the pub made Rupert wonder if their friends managed to get away from the guards after breaking Eugena out of gaol. He hopped that they had. It didn't seem fair they could be punished for helping her, though Rupert could guess it was technically against the law to break out of gaol. _Maybe I could explain things to the king and qu… my parents. I'm the prince. They have to listen to me, right?_

As much as he didn't want to doubt that, Rupert couldn't help but remember all the times Gothel had dismissed Rapunzel's opinions. Resolutely he reminded himself that his parents were certainly _not_ Gothel. And even if they didn't want to listen, he'd make them. Somehow.

"What do you think my parents are like?" Rupert asked out loud after a while. When Eugena didn't answer, he added, "Eugena?"

But Eugena had somehow managed to fall asleep, sitting up, without Rupert noticing. He was surprised at first until he remembered what she had told him. She hadn't slept at all the night before what she was in gaol. He also suspected that dying had taken more out of her than she had let on.

It was just about that time Rupert also noticed that Maximus had slowed his pace as well. That settled things for Rupert. "Hey, Maximus. I think we could use a break. Why don't we stop for a bit?"

The horse snorted and shook his head. It seemed that he was determined to get them back to the kingdom as quickly as possible despite how worn out he was.

"Come on, please. I know you're tired too. Eugena's gone to sleep and, no offence, but I'd like to get down for a while." Rupert gave Maximus a pleading look when the horse looked back at him with one eye and added in his best wheedling tone, "Please?"

He could feel the sigh, which Maximus probably meant to sound put-upon, under his legs. The horse came to a stop under a large maple tree. That was when Rupert realised that he had another problem. He didn't know how to get both Eugena and himself down without either dropping Eugena or him falling. As much as he didn't want to, he tried waking her up, but that didn't work. Eugena turned out to be very deep sleeper. Pascal offered to wake her up for him, but Rupert thought that wasn't a very nice idea since he knew just how the chameleon would do it.

Maximus solved the problem by actually lying down. Rupert was able to just swing his leg over. He put a hand under Eugena's legs and lifted her off at the same time. He set her down against the tree and sat down beside her. Maximus had gotten back on his feet, but had decided that he wanted to nap as well. The horse cocked on leg and went to sleep. Pascal chirruped from Rupert's shoulder and he looked at his friend.

"You want a nap too?" he asked. Pascal nodded. "Go ahead, Pascal. You aren't the only one." The chameleon wasted no time curling up to sleep.

It was odd to be the only one of the group still awake. Odd, but in a nice way. Rupert was glad that he had convinced Maximus to stop. Soon, however, the warm sunlight filtering through the branches overhead began to work its magic on him as well. He found, as he absently ran his fingers through Eugena's messy hair, that he was taking longer and longer blinks. Until he could fight off drowsiness no longer.


	23. Welcome Home

**AN:** Last chapter. And I'll admit, I did change the interaction with the king and queen a little bit. Unlike the rest of the story with is pretty much true to the movie.

* * *

When Eugena woke a short time later, it was to find her head pillowed against Rupert's shoulder. She hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep. By the angle of the sun, it was nearly noon so she wasn't asleep long. It looked like the others had decided to stop for a rest. Max was standing nearby, eyes closed and legs locked as he napped. She could hear frog-snores from Pascal, who she found draped on his back across Rupert's other shoulder. Eugena turned her head a little more to look at the man himself.

"Acres and acres and it's _all_ mine." She murmured and then snickered. That was the tag-line to a rather salacious joke she had heard years ago in some bar or other. She knew it wasn't entirely true. Rupert wouldn't be _just_ hers. He was the prince after all. _And one day he'll be king_ , she thought. It suddenly hit her like a frying pan. Rupert _was_ the prince and he would be _king_. She gulped as that line of thought lead to another. _That means that I could be… Oh bloody Hell._

That would mean that if she and Rupert married, Eugena could end up queen.

She wasn't queen-material. Queens were demure, polite, elegant. She wasn't _any_ of those things! Eugena may not be Flynn Rider anymore, but she still preferred the freedoms her disguise had given her. Hell, she didn't even know much of how to do _any_ lady-like things. She couldn't sew. She couldn't bake or cook. She couldn't plan parties or whatever else women all seemed to know how to do. A good half of what Eugena _was_ good at wasn't even legal!

She had started to work herself into a full blown 'freak out' when Rupert suddenly spoke up. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"Huh?" Eugena responded with _so_ much intelligence, looking at him again. She had thought he had been as asleep as the animals.

"That 'acres and acres'. What does that mean?" he clarified as he opened his eyes to look at her. He must have seen something in her expression that tipped him off about her thoughts moments ago. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

While Eugena was glad to not have to explain the tag-line to him, she really didn't want to talk about her insecurities about the future. So she fell back on a life-time's habit of deflection. "Nothing's wrong," she said cheerfully, "except daylight's burning. We should get going."

She made a move to get up only to have Rupert pull her back against him. "Something was bothering you. Now tell me."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." She said instead, trying to pull away again. Rupert was having none of that.

" _Eugena_ …" he chided, drawing out her name.

She sighed heavily and leaned into his chest. Why did she even bother trying to avoid talking about this when she knew she would just crumple like a piece of paper? "It's stupid." She muttered, not looking at him. "I was just thinking that…"

" _There_ you are, Rider!" the unpleasantly familiar voice of the Captain of the Guard snarled, interrupting Eugena. Both she and Rupert started in surprise. They looked up to find the Captain and half a dozen Guards, mounted on horses, coming through the trees towards them.

Eugena groaned. This was not good. She and Rupert exchanged looks before Eugena got to her feet. Rupert stood up as well and Max stepped up beside them, having woken up due to the noise. Eugena took a step forward and held out her hands in a placating gesture as the Guards dismounted and approached them. "Now, Captain, look. I can explain everything."

But when the Captain grabbed her arm, it wasn't to slap a set of shackles on her. He merely yanked her out of the way as he and the other Guarded homed in on Rupert. Eugena stumbled, the unfamiliar skirts tangling around her legs and causing her to fall onto her rump with a yelp.

"Eugena!" Rupert cried, reaching out to her only to be blocked by the Guards. Maximus whinnied shrilly and tried to rear as two of the Guards grabbed his reins to hold the wayward horse in place.

"Don't think you can go using a woman to hide behind." The Captain said, folding his arms across his chest. He ignored Rupert's confused expression and continued. "You won't be escaping the king's justice this time." As he spoke, three of the Guards grabbed Rupert. They pushed him onto his knees and started to bind his arms behind his back.

 _What? Oh for the love of…_ Eugena thought in shock and irritation. She realized what was going on. The stupid Guards were mistaking Rupert for _her_. "Hold on just a minute!" she cried as she scrambled to her feet. At the same time, Rupert reacted as well.

"Wait! Wait, I think you have the wrong idea here." He protested as he struggled against the Guards' hands.

"You have the _wrong_ person!" Eugena added her protests too. Her heart jumped into her throat. She was worried that the Guards would get rough with Rupert, like they had the night before with her after her arrest. Eugena ran forward to pull the Guards away from him. "Leave him alone!" For one moment, Eugena had a flash of memory of that moment in the Snuggly Duckling when the thugs had been fighting over her and not listening to any protests.

"Please, just listen to us." Rupert insisted as Maximus added to the din with his whinnies of protest.

The Captain grabbed her a second time and shoved her into the hold of another Guard. "Stay out of this, woman. Unless you want to be arrested as well for obstruction of justice. And as for you, Maximus." He turned on the horse, who shorted and glared right back at his former owner. "You should be ashamed of yourself, aiding and abetting a criminal like this."

Eugena mentally cursed. It looked like the only way to get through to these idiots was with something like the way Rapunzel had gotten through to Hookhand. The problem was she didn't have any convenient tree branch or frying pan to wack the Captain over the head. Plus the Guard holding her wasn't letting go any time soon.

Or so she thought.

"Gah!" the man suddenly yelped in a way that was very familiar to Eugena. It seemed Pascal, who had disappeared at some point during the scuffle, had put that tongue of his to good use. She made a mental note to thank the frog later. The second the Guard released her to scrub at his ear, Eugena lunged forward and grabbed the Captain's shoulder. She pulled him around to face her and did something she had always wanted to do.

She landed a solid right hook to the end of his arrogant chin.

"I SAID LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she shouted. There was silence in the little clearing. Everyone had frozen and were staring at her much like how the thugs had stared at Rapunzel in the Snuggly Duckling. The Captain rubbed at his jaw, his face going red with anger.

"You little wench! That is assault of an officer of the law and…" he started to say.

Eugena didn't let him get more than that out before she interrupted. " _THAT'S_ not Flynn Rider, you _moron_!" she shouted back, pointing a finger at where Rupert was still being held by the trio of Guards. She made a fist and jabbed her thumb into her chest as she bit out. " _I'M_ Flynn Rider!"

She had everyone's attention now. She glared at the Captain as the man's mouth dropped open. If the situation was anything but what it was, she might have laughed at how much the Captain looked like a gaping fish. She set her hands on her hips as she continued.

"Please don't tell me that all those frying pan blows to your head knocked you stupid, Captain." She said scornfully. "For your information, _I_ teamed up with the Stabbington Brothers to steal the Cornet of the Lost Heir. We came in through the roof and the _only_ reason you lot even found out when you did was because _I_ made a smart-ass comment about hay fever when one of the Guards sneezed." She folded her arms across her chest now. "And if you want, I can give you chapter and verse of _every_ heist I was involved in for the last decade. Or how about all the times _you've_ embarrassed yourself trying to catch me?"

The Captain could only splutter in indignation. Eugena turned on the Guards holding Rupert. They were as wide-eyed as their Captain, though Rupert's expression had a bit of mingled awe and admiration in it. "Now, if you don't mind, I suggest you release my friend here and take us to see the king and queen. I'm sure they will _love_ to hear about how you all just tried to arrest the _Lost Prince_!"

If it had gone silent at the moment when she had punched the Captain, it was deathly still at _that_ pronouncement. As one, the trio of Guards looked down at the man they were holding. Rupert was grinning a little at Eugena but then cleared his throat and changed his expression to an earnest one.

"She's telling the truth." He said, looking up at the Guards. "She is who she says she is and I am indeed Prince Rupert." He smiled winsomely at them.

The Guards instantly let go and jumped back as if Rupert had burst into flames. One of them, a skinny runty looking Guard, started babbling. "Your Highness, our apologies! We had no idea. Please forgive this rude treatment…"

Rupert gave the poor man a sympathetic look. Eugena couldn't imagine how Rupert managed to like every inch a prince even when he had been seconds away from being arrested. "It's quite all right." he said and then looked down at his clothing, then at Eugena before back to the Guard. "I think I can see where you might have made a mistake. Would you mind?" He nodded to his bindings.

"Of course! Of course!" The Guard helped Rupert onto his feet and cut through the ropes quickly. Rupert and Eugena both breathed a sigh of relief now that he was free.

"Thank you, uh…" Rupert started to say, but paused to let the man introduce himself.

"Conli, sir! Private Conli, at your service." Conli saluted Rupert.

Rupert smiled at the Guard. "Thank you, Private Conli, for your help." He reached out and took Eugena's hand as he turned to face the still gaping Captain. "Now, Captain, would you be so kind as to escort us to see my parents?" Somehow, without changing his easy expression or his tone, Rupert had turned that sentence from a suggestion into an order.

The Captain stared at them for a long moment before snapping his mouth shut and nodding weakly in agreement. "Yes, your Highness." The other Guards, who looked just as pole-axed as their Captain, looked at each other and then to their leader. It was clear none of them were sure how to react to all this.

Eugena swallowed a giggle at how stunned the Captain had become. She figured it wasn't a good idea to antagonize him. Now that the situation had settled somewhat, a small part of her felt a bit sorry for the man. After all, she knew what it was like to have your view on things thrown upside-down in the space of a few minutes.

Maximus came over to them, having pulled free finally. Pascal was perched on the horse's head. The stallion bobbed his head towards his saddle again, clearly indicating for them to mount up once more. Whispering to Rupert, Eugena suggested that he take the front position and that she would ride behind him. Rupert didn't question why, just agreed with her.

A short while later found Eugena and Rupert riding through the kingdom of Corona with an escort of still bewildered Guards. The odd group garnered curious looks from the people on the streets. It didn't help that Maximus was doing everything in his power to draw attention to them, arching his neck and flagging his tail. Thankfully the ride through the city took very little time.

She and Rupert were left to wait on the Grand Balcony in front of the castle's main doors. A wave of uncharacteristic nervousness swept over Eugena. She was about to come face to face with the king and queen of the kingdom, the rulers of Corona and the ones whom she had stolen the second most precious object of theirs from. Not only that, they were Rupert's _parents_. She could only imagine how they would feel about their long lost son bringing home a girl with a past like hers.

But Rupert looked twice as nervous if not more. In fact, he had that same sort of look he had before she had dealt with Gothel's cloak. He stood at the railing of the balcony, looking out over the kingdom. She joined him at the railing and took his hand.

"It's some view, isn't it?" she said casually and then added. "Though I think the one from the roof is better."

That made Rupert laugh at least. "You would." He glanced at her then back out at the rooftops. "I can hardly imagine me being the prince of all this. It doesn't seem real, you know. Truth, it kind of scares me a little."

"There's nothing to be scared of." She reassured him. "Your parents will love you. And you were born for this. One day, you'll make a great king." Though she tried to keep her tone light and even, there must have been something that gave away the fact that she was starting to think about the things she had been before they had been interrupted in the forest. Rupert looked at her with a rather sharp expression.

"Is that what you were worrying about before? The fact that I'm the prince?" he asked.

Eugena knew she couldn't lie to him. Rupert had already proven that he could and would see through any attempt at it. "Maybe." She answered softly, but hurriedly she continued. "Not about you, though. You'll be fine. You already have the ability to be royalty, Rupert. It's just that…" she twisted her lips a little and focused on the distant green blur of the forest on the far shore. After a moment she muttered, "I'm no princess."

"I don't think I would want a princess." Rupert said unexpectedly. "I mean, I don't really know what princesses are like except from a couple of stories when I was little, but I can't imagine any of them being as wonderful as you. I wasn't lying when I said I won't do this without you. You helped me find out who I really am. You came back for me when you thought I was only Rapunzel and you saved me from Gothel."

"You saved yourself as much as anything I did." Eugena tried to demure.

Rupert shook his head. "If you and I had never met, I don't think I would have ever had the courage to defy Gothel in any way."

Eugena's cheeks reddened. This was getting more than a little embarrassing. She wasn't used to anyone saying _nice_ things about her like that. She bumped her shoulder against his. "Hey now, I thought I was supposed to be the one keeping you from freaking out. Not the other way around."

Rupert chuckled again as they both looked out at the city again. There was a moment of silence between them, which was interrupted by the faint click of the doors to the palace opening behind them. As one, she and Rupert turned.

Framed in the door way, were the anxious figures of the king and queen of Corona. Seeing them up close for the first time in her life, Eugena could clearly see that Rupert had the look of both his parents, but mostly like his father. The king was a tall powerfully built man while the queen was much shorter than her husband. In fact Eugena thought that Rapunzel had looked very much like a blonde version of her (of course with _much_ longer hair). Rupert was very much a thinner pared down version of the king except for his green eyes which were entirely his mother's.

She suddenly felt that Rupert should meet his parents on his own. She subtly nudged him forward and slipped her hand from his as he stepped away from her. At this moment she was rather superfluous anyway.

Rupert took a bare few steps towards the royals. Eugena knew that he was looking up at them with a hesitant expression. Likely the same expression she could see on both monarchs faces as the king slowly moved down the steps. The queen hung back, staying at just the top of the stairs. Rupert and his father approached each other. Blue eyes met green. The king tilted his head a little and narrowed his eyes as he examined the younger man.

Eugena held her breath. _It is him. Believe us that this is your son, sire. I don't want Rupert to be hurt anymore._ She thought, only know realizing how little proof they had that Rupert was the prince. After all, the last time the king and queen had seen their son, he had been a small blond baby and this _brown_ -haired young man in rather scruffy clothing and bare feet was probably far from what they had expected. And there was nothing but their word (hers and Rupert's) to say that he was who they were claiming.

After a long breathless moment, right when Eugena thought they were going to be turned away as frauds, suddenly the king chuckled and pulled Rupert in a hearty, back-slapping hug. Rupert appeared startled at first, but quickly joined in, though not nearly as hard as the king was. Only then did the queen come closer, still clearly unsure. That is until the two men turned towards her. She gave a little cry of joy and ran into their arms. There were tears in all three's eyes as they dropped down to kneel on the paving stones of the balcony.

Eugena just stood quietly to the side, arms folded across her middle, as she watched all this. As heart-warming and heartening as it was, she couldn't help feel a little melancholy at the same time. She wasn't jealous of Rupert in the least, but perhaps she did envy him a little. Her mother was dead, though she had had that chance to see her during those few moments she had been dead. But she wouldn't see her again until she died (again), which she did hope wasn't for a very long time.

Just at that moment, is seemed that the king, at least, remembered her presence. He lifted his head to look at her and held out his hand. Eugena took a step forward and took it, expecting that he just wanted to shake her hand in thanks for returning his son. What she got was completely unexpected.

To her shock, the king yanked her down beside them. She landed with a small yelp almost in Rupert's lap and before she knew it, she was just as much a part of the family hug as Rupert was.


	24. Epilogue

**AN:** Okay, I know I said the last chapter was the _last_ one, but this is really just an epilogue. This is going to be much shorter than any of the other chapters too.

* * *

"…Well, you can imagine what happened next." Rupert paused just outside the doorway at the sound of Eugena's voice. He was glad he had found her, he had been rather busy lately and they hadn't spent much time together. He also enjoyed listening in when she was telling their story (especially when she didn't know _he_ was).

Eugena was in a settle next to a large window and was completely engrossed with telling the story to her audience. "The kingdom rejoiced, for their Lost Prince had returned. The party lasted an _entire_ week and, honestly, I don't remember most of it." She gave a little self-conscious laugh, which Rupert would have joined in with except he didn't want to reveal his presence. Eugena peered out the window and grinned as if something out there reminded her of something.

"Dreams came true all over the place. Hookhand went on to become the most famous concert pianist in the _world_ , if you can believe it. And Bignose, well he eventually found true love with his own little Valkyrie." She shifted a little in her seat and smiled down at her listener. "And as for Ulf the mime, well, I assume he's happy." She glanced out the window again and added, "He's never told me otherwise."

Rupert almost gave himself away at that because he had just seen their thug friend Ulf _entertaining_ (which is what his father called it) some of the guards outside. He had them all very confused about him being trapped inside an invisible box. The guards had looked like they had wanted to help him, but couldn't figure out how. Rupert had seen him shooed away, but judging but the way Eugena was looking out the window, he suspected the mime was back and confusing another group of guards.

Eugena snickered again as an imperious whinny came in through the open window. Clearly Maximus had appeared to either chase off Ulf or chastise the guards. "Thanks to Maximus, crime in the kingdom disappeared almost overnight. As did most of the apples. Pascal…" Eugena took a grape from the bowl beside her and had been bringing it to her lips when she suddenly yelped in disgust. She froze for a second before turning her head slightly to glare at the chameleon perched on her shoulder. She and Pascal got along fairly well nowadays. Enough that he would spend hours with her instead of Rupert (especially when he was stuck in some boring meeting or other). Pascal looked back at her with unrepentance. Eugena sighed and held out the grape to the chameleon who snagged it with his tongue. "Pascal never changed." Eugena tried to sound severe, but sounded more amused.

She shook her head and continued on. "At last Rupert was home. And he finally had a real family. He was a Prince worth waiting for. Respected by all, he has led his kingdom with all the grace and wisdom that his parents did before him." She looked back down at her audience again. "And, as for me, well, I started going by Eugena again, stopped thieving and basically turned it all around. But I know what the big question is." She ran her hand over her outfit again, smoothing the fabric of her gown over her swollen stomach. To this day, she still argued vehemently against having to wear dresses except for formal occasions, preferring shirts and breeches the rest of the time. This of course scandalized the Court and horrified Rupert's mother, the queen. The King just found it hilarious and actually encouraged Eugena.

Personally Rupert couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

Unfortunately for Eugena, men's clothing didn't come in maternity styles. So for now, she was stuck in dresses.

"Did Rupert and I _ever_ get married?" she asked their unborn child. "Well, I am pleased to tell you after years and years of asking and asking and _asking_ , he finally said yes."

" _Eugena_ …" Rupert chided as he finally stepped into the private rooms of the Heir and his Consort. There was a hint of a laugh in his voice as came over to her.

Eugena looked up and flashed a grin that was very close to a Smolder at him as she held out her hands. Rupert took them and helped his wife to her feet. "All right." she said as she curled her arms around his neck, nuzzling against the scruff Rupert had started growing (which she apparently adored). "He asked me."

Rupert plucked the Heir's Cornet from her head, wondering when she had managed to swipe it from him. She loved doing things like that (just to keep her hand in she said). He placed the elegant crown on his own head. "And we're living happily ever after." He said since the story was now at its end. Tenderly he placed a hand over her belly, feeling the flutter of the child within kicking.

"Yes. We are." Eugena concluded as she drew him in for a long loving kiss.


End file.
